Taking Care of Myself
by sara ane
Summary: When Harry was a little boy he always dreamed of some long lost relative coming and taking him away from the Dursleys. Little did he know that long lost relative would be… himself? AU
1. Finding myself

Taking Care of Myself

All materials below are the property of the great and power J.K. Rowling and related companies. They aren't my toys, I just like to play with them.

When Harry was a little boy he always dreamed of some long lost relative coming and taking him away from the Dursleys. Little did he know that long lost relative would be… himself!?

Petunia Dursley strived to be normal. She, for the most part, did what was expected of a young house wife of Surrey, England. She doted on her son and husband, kept a lovely garden, a lovely house and was admired all over the neighborhood for taking in her ragamuffin of a nephew. Never mind that said nephew did at least half of the work around the garden and the house and that he never had enough to eat and slept in the cupboard. Yes, Petunia Dursley was perfectly normal, thank you very much. It was a nice, clear, normal day. She had already observed one of her neighbors having an argument with his wife and had called half the neighborhood to tell them and complain how fickle some people were these days. She had just sat down to watch her afternoon dramas when, suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. That was unexpected. Who in the world could that be? She hurriedly tapped on the cupboard door signaling the sniffling child inside to be quiet. Little fool was claiming he was afraid of the dark. Then she opened the door with a flourish and a smile which immediately froze on her face.

Hard, cold, emerald eyes stared back at her. "Where is he?"

END PROLOUGE

Chapter one: Finding Myself

Harry Potter was not in a good mood. When he had left the Dursleys at seventeen years of age he had been quite sure he would never return. Yet here he was, on their doorstep glaring at his stunned aunt. Actually, the glaring part wasn't half bad.

"Where is he?"

"Where is who?"

Harry smirked. "The magical one."

Petunia's eyes widened and she started to slam the door in his face. A very strong hand quickly caught the door before that could happen.

"Ah. Must be in the cupboard again eh?"

Petunia had no choice but to step back as the man, obviously a Potter, stepped into the house. She did, however try to stop him from reaching the cupboard.

"Now see here! I don't know who you are but you're not taking him! He… he's under my protection and will not leave this house!"

Harry looked at his aunt in surprise. "You must care something for the child after all. I'm shocked. However, you don't need to protect him from me." He broke out into a full grin. "After all, why would I hurt myself?" Harry had almost knocked the lock off the cupboard before Petunia finally found her senses.

"Yourself!?"

He turned around. "Yes, funny story that. I got thrown back in time so now I'm here to rescue him from you. Oh don't worry about paradoxes and the like, it won't happen. I've already checked."

"Thrown back in time?"

"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me I have to meet myself." He grinned and threw open the cupboard door. Wide, tear filled green eyes peered up at him.

"Harry, I'm your uncle James (who will for most of this story be called James) I've come to take care of you."

Petunia was doing her best to push James away from the cupboard door. "I will not allow this! The protection! The boy will be unprotected!"

James quickly scooped the five year old into his arms. "I, Harry James Potter do hereby swear upon mine and my mother's blood to care for and protect Harry Potter, child of Lilly Potter until the day I die." A soft, golden glow surrounded the man and child leaving them both feeling warm and safe. Harry, who was exhausted from all his chores and running from Dudley quickly dropped off to sleep deciding that the mystery of 'Uncle James' could be solved later. As he fell asleep, he could swear he heard a woman's voice singing softly as he drifted to sleep.

Upon James' oath, Petunia felt as if an arctic wild was blasting through her then suddenly went numb. "Wha…what was that?"

"His protection has been transferred to me. Don't worry; I'll take good care of him, far better than you ever would. I'll be taking him now and you won't be seeing either of us ever again… you hope." And with that, the two Harry James Potters vanished forever from Number Four, Privet Drive and for a while, from England all together.

Harry smiled as he took a deep breath of sea air and looked around him. The climate was warm, the people were few, magical, ignorant of current events and friendly. The child would grow strong here, he decided. There was a thick, lush forest that spanned the entire island. It even had a dead volcano at the center. The plot of land he had purchased was several dozen acres square and the people that lived closest to him had a couple of kids that would make excellent playmates when time allowed. He smiled as he shifted the child to one arm and opened the door. The place was perfect, absolutely perfect. The house he had magically built was humble but comfortable. It had two floors, three bedrooms, one bath, an expanded kitchen, training room, and den, the door under the stairs led to the training room so there was no cupboard under the stairs and he had already decorated his room and Harry's room. The interior of the home was all bamboo and Harry had simply put up colorful pictures and posters. Both Harry's rooms had a ceiling that had been charmed to show the sky. Most of the furniture was made of bamboo and the color scheme was navy blue, sky blue, white and a hint of crimson. Harry had already bought more than enough clothes for each of them (the child's would grow with him up to age eleven) and had done everything to make the house a home for both of them. Still cradling the child in his arms, he climbed the bamboo stairs (they had no railing but Harry had installed a magical net to catch anyone that fell) and took little Harry to his room to be put to bed. All around the room were pictures of people uncle James intended the boy to meet, know and love. There were also several pictures of his parents. Harry didn't so much as stir as James gently undressed him and put his brand now doggy pajamas on him. He tucked the child into bed and waved his arm to activate the temperature controls and monitoring charms he had already set. He then headed down to the beach. The charms would let him know when little Harry was starting to wake up.

As Harry started to wake up, he idly thought that he had never been more comfortable in his whole life. He was warm right down to the tips of his toes and whatever he was lying on was wonderfully soft. A soft smile flitted across his face as he stretched like a cat.

"Good morning, sleepy head, and happy late birthday."

The child's eyes flew open as he sat up and turned toward the voice. A man that looked very much like him was sitting backwards in a wooden chair and smiling at him. He was in a strange room, one that was decorated, he supposed, for a child his age.

"Who?"

The man smiled kindly. "I'm not surprised you don't remember. You were almost asleep when I met you last night. I'm your uncle James, well, sort of an uncle I guess and I'm going to take care of you from now on. This is my house and the room is yours as long as you want it. While I will expect you to work hard at the things I assign you, they won't be chores and for now, most of them will be quite fun I think. You are allowed in any room here except for the one with the black door. There are dangerous things in there and I don't want you to get hurt. We are now on an Island in the part of the world called Oceania. It's a bunch of islands off the coast of Australia. You are allowed anywhere on the island as long as you tell me where you will be going first. There will be kids around for you to play with when there is time." James smiled when the child just blinked at him then laughed when Harry looked up and exclaimed that they didn't have a roof.

"That would be my doing. We do have a roof. I simply used magic to make your ceiling show the sky."

"Magic! There's no such thing!"

James growled low in his throat and almost didn't notice that he had frightened his young charge. "Harry, the Dursleys are bloody liars. There is such thing as magic. You have it, I have it and your parents had it. By the way they were not drunken fools. They were heroes. They died fighting a very evil man and won, for a while at least. Now, there will be plenty of time to talk about, well, everything later on. For now let's get some food in you and I'll give you a tour of the house, our land and the whole Island. Feel free to ask anything you wish while I cook your breakfast."

"Um… clothes?"

"I don't mind a bit if you eat in your pajamas. I think they're rather cute. Aside from that, I took the liberty of getting you new clothes. They are in that wardrobe over there." James pointed to a tall, blue wardrobe with snitches flying across it. He watched at Harry saw the wardrobe then began to notice the rest of the room. The walls were painted a nice soft blue and on one wall some sort of game seemed to be played on broomsticks. Every once in a while a golden ball with wings would zip across parts of the blue. James had charmed it so that the snitch could even zoom from the wall to the wardrobe and back. The furniture in the room was bamboo and the covers on the bed had a nice sky pattern to them. Based on the lighting it would change from a blue sky with clouds to a night sky with the moon and stars. A large green rug was on the wooden floor making the room look very much someone's back yard. In the corner of the room was a toy chest filled with muggle and magical toys alike. Pictures of smiling, waving people occupied every available space on the furniture and a few of the nicer ones hung on the walls. The room wasn't particularly large but it wasn't very small either. In short, Harry felt very much like he was in heaven.

"Wow."

James bent down so he was eye level with Harry. "All this is yours and only yours."

James was a bit surprised when he suddenly found his arms full of pajama-clad little boy. He quickly recovered, however and gently returned the hug then scooped the child up and carried him downstairs. "Breakfast time! The food's getting cold!" He plopped the child down on a booster seat at the small table for two and smiled at the wide, green eyes staring at the vast amount of food on his plate.

"Just eat as much as you can. I know good and well the Dursleys didn't feed you as well as they should have and that it will take time before you can put much of a dent in that."

Instead of digging in, Harry reached over and pinched his arm, hard. James chuckled.

"You're not dreaming."

"But why? Why are you being so nice to me? Aunty says I don't dserve anything nice."

James reached across the table and gently gripped Harry's shoulder.

"I told you before. Your aunt, that entire family are liars. They are also awful people on the whole. The way I am treating you now is how you always should have been treated. I just regret that you won't be able to have fun all the time. You're a good little boy, Harry and you deserve good things. I don't want you to be afraid to come to me when you're scared or have a question or just want to be around me. Your parents, godfather and all their friends loved you very much and so do I."

James was more than a bit surprised when the newly five year old suddenly burst into tears right there at the table. James quickly snatched up little Harry and checked him over for injuries. Finding none and with no sign of the tears stopping anytime soon, he did his best to comfort the child gently drawing him into a comforting hug. Harry only cried harder.

"What's wrong? Was it something I said? He tried to sooth the child by rubbing circles on his back, a trick he had learned from Hermione. It did no good.

"Harry? Little one? Tell me what's wrong!"

The little boy just shook his head and clutched hard at James' T-shirt.

"Harry, please, tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it! Just tell me what's wrong!"

"Y…you said." Harry sniffled and buried his face deeper into James' shoulder. "Said… you love me."

Immediately, James knew the problem. He shifted the little bundle a bit and held him tight. "Of course I love you, Harry! How could I not?"

"B-but where were you? Unca James? Where were you? I thought… I'd almost…"

"Decided no one would come for you? I know. I know what that feels like. I wasn't able to come before now. It would have been very dangerous for you to be with me before now. I was fighting some very bad people that would have just loved to hurt you to get to me. That's over now though. I won't fight anyone else except to protect you until you're all grown up and take care of yourself. I'm so sorry you were left there and I promise, you will never have to go back. But please, please stop crying. When you cry, it makes me want to cry too." James then went into an elaborate, hysterical and completely fake crying fit. Little Harry quickly went from tears to soft giggles.

"You're funny." He decided then let out a squeal of laugher when James tickled him.

"Yeah, well you're little and cute." He let the child go and pulled the other plate over so they were side by side. "How about we just eat together this morning?" Harry nodded happily then stopped and squeaked,

"I'm not little!"

James just laughed.

James was almost as excited about Harry seeing the ocean for the first time as Harry himself was. He watched in pure delight as the tiny boy bounced up and down waiting for him to open the door. James finished putting sunscreen on the boy's incredibly fair skin then grinned and flung the door wide open.

"Wow!"

James watched in amusement as the little boys wide, green eyes grew to almost impossible proportions. The child stood there slack jawed for a moment, then shook himself and absolutely _beamed_ at James.

"It's bootiful!"

James felt both pride and bitterness bubble up in him as he watched little Harry dash around on the sand. During his childhood, even after he came to Hogwarts, James could not remember ever being that happy. Oh sure, like any other child he would play and had been happy sometimes - just not that often. The look his tiny counterpart had just given him had been pure, untainted, childish delight. He only wished that he had known an 'Uncle James' when he was young.

"Unca James? Can I go see the water?" The excited little boy was standing in front of him bouncing up and down on his toes. When James nodded he whooped and ran the short distance down the beach and to the waves.

"Just don't go in the water!" James could tell the child didn't hear him and with a curse, tore after the child. He easily caught up with Harry and grabbed his hand. "Tomorrow, I'll start teaching you how to swim. For now though, don't go above your knees in the water ok?" James waved a hand and a small section of the waves were stilled. The water simply lapped up on that part of the shore as would that of a lake. Harry gasped.

"How did-"

"Magic."

"That is so cool! Will I be able to do that someday?"

James just smiled. "I think it's a safe bet."

James took great delight in teaching the little boy how to play on the beach. Together, they made a sand castle, had a splash war. James let Harry win that one. Then, James let the little boy bury him in the sand. When they finally returned to the house for lunch, both Harrys were pretty well knackered. It didn't take much convincing after lunch for both of them to agree to a nap. After he had put Harry to bed, James flopped down on the couch and covered himself up. It wasn't five minutes before he felt a small tug on his blanket. Immediately tugging his wand from the holster, James grabbed his assailant by his hair and pressed his wand to his temple. Constant vigilance had been so ingrained into him that he hadn't even opened his eyes until he had the assailant firmly in hand.

When he finally did open them he did not expect to see frightened, tear-filled green eyes staring back at him. Eyes that matched his own.

"Harry!" James released the boy as if the skin contact burned him. "Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry I didn't know it was you!" He reached for the child and was horrified when little Harry tried to flinch away. He gently carded a hand through his tiny mop of hair before gently lifting the child up and into his lap. He hugged him close for a moment then pushed the boy away enough to tip up his chin and gently wipe away the tears rolling down the soft cheek.

"Harry, you know I would never hurt you on purpose. The truth is, I'm a bit jumpy and it's not a good idea to surprise me. At my eighteenth birthday party I hexed a good many of my friends because they tried to make it a surprise. They all jumped out and yelled and two of them ended up in the hospital. I felt really bad about it." He looked at the little boy in his arms. He didn't look happy but at least he had stopped crying. "I'm even worse now than I was then. Some… really awful things happened to me and to my friends." James shuddered. "Doors slamming, echoing footsteps, loud voices, coming up behind me and tapping me on the shoulder. Any of those things can set me off. They told me it would get better in time. I'm just not sure how much time it will take."

Wide green eyes peered at him. "You were hurt?"

James swallowed and closed his eyes. "Hurt doesn't begin to describe it I'm afraid." Harry sniffled a little then timidly hugged James who gently returned the hug.

"I sorry I scawered you Unca James." James just chuckled.

"Ditto. So what did you come down here for?"

Harry fidgeted and squirmed a little before answering. "I… Can I sweep with you?"

Wondering why he hadn't guessed even before he has been told, James just smiled and tossed the blanket over Harry's body. "Sure kiddo. After nap time I'll show you the forest, which you may not go into with out me and introduce you to the neighbors." James smiled and tossed his arm around the child as he felt little Harry snuggling close. The child was a warm, comforting weight on his chest and James drifted to sleep with a smile on his face. For the first time in several years, he did not have a nightmare.

The two woke up several hours later and Harry just grinned when he saw that "Unca" James was still with him and magic was still real and Aunt Petunia Dudley, and Uncle Vernon were far, far away. His dream had come true and he really did have family that loved him and really wanted him. He was just gonna have to make sure he was a very good boy and not give Unca James any reason to abandon him again.

James, not ever having mastered any of the mind arts, knew nothing of what little Harry was thinking as he led the boy outside. As it was a magical island, there were lots of magical creatures in the forest along with the normal muggle animals. It was the type of Island where all the creatures felt quite safe around humans and both Harrys had great fun playing with the monkeys. James knew where the unfriendly creatures of the forest dwelled and steered well clear of those areas. They were out of the forest and back on the beach by dusk to watch the sunset. After that, the two walked the short distance to the neighbor's house. The parents were quite friendly and the children quickly accepted Harry as their new playmate. James was a bit worried that the kids were bossing Harry around a bit but decided that with his new environment, the child would learn to assert himself soon enough. Finally, he rose, thanked the Patels and carried little Harry back home. Once there he put on his swimming trunks and gave Harry his first of many splash baths. Being a huge fan of the prefect bathroom, James had modeled the bath after the pool like tub but had thrown in a few extra charms so that he could easily control how deep the pool was. At the moment, it was a little wading pool filled with water toys. At first, Harry had been quite frightened when James told him it was bath time. Both Harrys vividly remembered that when Aunt Petunia had bathed him the water was always too hot or freezing and she had scrubbed him so hard he had bled a time or two. James was quick to assure him by getting in the bath first and starting to play with a toy boat. Harry soon joined him. For a few minutes the child sat very still and didn't try to play at all. Then James started a splash war with him. Very soon the room was soaked and filled with peals of childish squeals and laughter. Somehow, the two boys eventually managed to clean themselves and with a wave of James's hand, the bathroom was dry, the two Harrys were only slightly damp and two large, fluffy towels were in James's hand.

James grinned at his tiny self. "How do you like bath time now?"

Harry's face was flushed a healthy pink from the exercise and he was grinning ear to ear. "That was fun! Can we do it again?"

"Sure, tomorrow night. We live on the beach now. Sand will get everwhere. We have to bathe every day to make sure a desert isn't growing in our bums."

Harry giggled.

"Well now, I think we have time for a small reading lesson, a story, then it's bed time for all five year olds."

"Weading lesson? But Unca James, I can't wead."

"I know you can't. I also know your speech isn't where it should be because at the Dursleys you were pretty much told to keep quiet. I know you're young but I do want you to work on your pronunciation."

"Pronolication?"

"No Harry, pronunciation. It's how you say words. Right now you're having trouble saying some words correctly. For instance, it's not wead it's read. It's cute when you're five, not so cute when you're eight."

"I sorry."

James smiled and scooped up the little boy. "It's not your fault. We just will have to work at it a little is all."

Harry nodded.

"Now, let's get you dressed and introduce you to the wonderful world of reading."

As James expected, Harry worked very hard on his lessons – hard enough that as his story was being read little Harry happily munched away on some potato crisps (In Great Brittan, fries are chips and chips are crisps. Go figure.) and a very small mug of butterbeer laced with a mild sleeping potion. James had chosen the Chronicles of Narnia and had decided to read him two chapters a night. (I grew up on those books. If you have seen the movie but not read the books, go do so!!!) Between chapters, James got the little boy ready for bed, gave the child a trio of stuffed animals, a stag, a wolf and a black dog and tenderly tucked the child in. Harry barely managed to stay awake to the end of the chapter. James quietly bent down and brushed some unruly bangs away from the tiny scar on his counterpart and gently kissed the child goodnight. He was quite determined to give this Harry all the love and affection he, himself should have had growing up. The child stirred and turned on his side.

"Wuv you Unca James." He murmured. James smiled.

"You too, kiddo, you too."

AN: ahem I know it has been a while since I have uploaded anything. This is my new baby. The rating may go up or it may not. I intend to continue this until I get to Hogwarts years at which time I will be writing a sequal for each year. I hope you enjoyed the story.

Fic rec: Old crow Anything by him is great!


	2. Getting to know me

All of the characters below are J.K. Rowling's toys. I just like to snitch them from her toy box and play dollies.

Chapter Two: Getting to know me

The next morning, used to doing chores for his fat, lazy relatives, Harry woke shortly before dawn. He smiled happily as he lay in his warm, cozy bed. Three times waking up! Maybe this really isn't a dream. It still hadn't quite hit the boy that everything was real and not just a product of a hopeful and overactive imagination. Yawning and stretching, he climbed out of bed and hurried to the bathroom then back to his room to get dressed. Still scrubbing the sleep out of his eyes, little Harry tiptoed past Uncle James' room and downstairs. After a minor amount of puttering around the kitchen, the little boy had found a stool and was dutifully fixing breakfast, equal portions though, for the two of them and humming quietly to himself as he did so. He had almost finished cooking when James found him.

It was the smell that woke him up. For a moment James thought he was back at the Weasley's before he opened his eyes and noticed a distinct lack of orange. Then he groaned and rolled out of bed.

"I was hoping he wouldn't do this."

James stumbled downstairs and spotted the small boy leaning over the stove preparing a full English breakfast.

"You know, normally it's the grown-up that cooks for the child."

Harry jumped a little and turned around on his stool to look at his uncle.

"I'm sorry. Was I s'posed to wake you up before I started cooking?"

"It's not that, Harry. You're a little young yet to be cooking by yourself. I'm afraid you might burn yourself. I don't mind if you help me with the cooking but I only want you around the stove when I am in the room. You're not in trouble. You were only doing what you are used to; I can tell. Things are gonna be a bit different with me. We will do our own cleaning except when the mess is big enough for magic, but we will do it together. I was thinking about planting a garden for vegetables, we can get plenty of fruit from the forest, and if you wish, you can help me with that or perhaps have a little plot of your own to grow whatever you want."

James walked over and turned off the stovetop and gently let young Harry down from his stool.

"As your uncle, it's my job to take care of you properly. I won't weigh you down with chores or ask you to do anything you are too young to do. You're a kid. You're supposed to be having fun most of the time. Understand?"

The little boy nodded then laughed.

"I like your orders a lot better than Aunt Petunia's!"

"Me too!" Giving the boy a hair ruffle then sending him off to set the table, James quickly finished making breakfast then summoned the place settings and spooned out their portions.

After walking over to the table and setting down the platters, Harry asked the little boy what he would like to do for the day.

"I wanna play in the ocean peez! And maybe you could teach me how to swim?"

James nodded. "It's please, Harry, and I think a swimming lesson is a wonderful idea!"

It was a mutually excited pair that happily gulped down their food. Little Harry still couldn't eat quite as much as a normal little boy but he was getting closer. James had decided when he first saw the lad's eating habits that he was always have little snacks in his pockets. He had managed to get the child to nibble on extra things several times yesterday. James figured it would take him about a week before little Harry could manage full child-sized servings. James had also finished brewing a batch of nourishing potion last night and instead of orange juice, orange-flavored potion filled little Harry's cup.

As Harry Potter, James had not only been malnourished to the point where it took some unlocking rituals to grow to his full intended height and strength, but his magic had been stunted also and it had taken what he considered a 'gray' ritual to gain access to the full well of power that it had taken to defeat Voldemort. Yes, Dumbledore had very good intentions when he was placed with his un-family, as he liked to call them, but, debatably, Albus may have done more harm than good by placing him there. True, he had been protected but James wasn't sure the pros canceled out the cons. Little Harry, he was sure, would have a perfect balance between protection, care, love, and a good bit of hard training to give his younger self an edge over all that he might face. James also planned to make sure the little boy had a fine support base.

After a short period in which James taught the small boy the joy of sand castles while the let their food settle, James led his own personal mini-me out into the stilled ocean waters. Once there, he let Harry play water horsy with him for a little while and got him used to playing in the water. The first lesson was to put his head underwater and not get scared. James had the boy all the way up to holding on to a smooth rocky shelf and kicking his legs by the time the lesson ended. James was impressed by how quick a learner Harry was and told him so. He received a shy grin and a soft "Thank you."

After the swimming lesson, James sat on the beach and read a little bit while Harry enjoyed the sand and serf. It was almost noon when he hauled the reluctant boy back inside to eat lunch. Knowing what the child could and could not safely do, he asked the lad to make a small salad while he fixed some stir-fry. While on the hunt for horcruxes, he had come to love all things Chinese take-out and had learned to cook them as a way of saving money and relaxing. The Dursleys had thought all foreign food was abnormal, thus he had never tasted any until after his prison ter… I mean stay with them.

Little Harry was having the time of his life! His Uncle James was the nicest man on the planet – no, the whole outer space! Not only had he not fussed at him when he made breakfast this morning, but he had been worried about him and made bath-time not scary anymore. It had actually been really fun! He had heard in kinder-care that mummies and daddies would always take care of children. It was their special job to love them. Harry had realized pretty quickly that his Aunt and Uncle didn't take very good care of him but he didn't think they were taking very good care of Dudley either. Teacher had said that depending on how a child was raised they would be nice or mean grown-ups, sad or happy. Harry was sure that Dudley would be mean… and stupid. Uncle James on the other hand, was great! The little boy was sure that if he was really bad that the nice man would discipline him but, at the same time, he was kinda sure that Uncle James understood and wouldn't be mean. One thing the little boy was gonna make sure to do, make the sad in Uncle James' eyes go away. Every once-in-a-while the man would get a really sad look on his face. Little Harry was sad that his nice uncle had lost all of his friends. Well he would be Uncle James' friend! He finished assembling the salad at about the same time as Uncle James had the stir-fry ready. He had never tried it but his uncle had assured him he would like it. He had even winked. Uncle James was so nice!

Instead of sitting down in his own chair, the little boy waited until his uncle had sat down then plunked himself in his lap.

"Can I sit with you, Uncle James?"

James chuckled and dragged the little boy's plate across the table. "Sure. Just make sure you eat as much as you can."

Harry grinned and gave the man a quick hug. "Deal!" He then dug in with gusto. "This is really, really good!"

James smiled. "I was quite sure you would like it." He ruffled the boy's hair and started on his own meal. "You did a good job on the salad." He watched as his tiny self was filled with so much pride that he almost glowed. "After lunch it's nap time for you while I write a few letters. I'm guessing a few people have realized that you've disappeared from the Dursleys and I don't want them to worry about you. Would you rather nap in your room or on the couch in my study?" James wasn't one bit surprised when the little boy requested to sleep in the study. He was pleased that his small counterpart was starting to request attention and affection. Thankfully the Dursleys hadn't done as much damage as he feared they had done. By his calculations, the boy had been struck only a few times and Dudley hadn't quite mastered the 'Harry Hunting' game quite yet. Things hadn't really gotten bad until about a month after he had turned five. He supposed he had done some large accidental magic at that point. He wondered if it had been so big that he had been obliviated.

After lunch, James gave the little boy a piggy-back-ride to the study, the first little Harry could remember, and quickly got him settled on the couch. Then, with a heavy sigh he sat down at his desk and arranged his stationery. One of the first things had done once he realized that he could change events was get himself registered as the head of the Potter clan and authorized to use the Potter seal. Only the clan head and members approved by the head were able to use the Potter seal. It would lend credence to his letter and considering the crock of lies he was about to write, anything would help his case.

_Dear Headmaster,_

_It has probably come to your attention by now that young Harry isn't where he is supposed to be. I'm afraid I am responsible for this. However, I can assure you that the boy is safe and well cared for. You most likely don't know about me. Even James didn't until the last few years of his life. I am Fredrick Potter's illegitimate child and James' half-brother. I am my brother's junior by two years and I'm afraid that my mother used unseemly means in order to get herself impregnated. She used Polyjuice. My father found out about it and was, understandably upset. I imagine the woman died in prison. Father made sure I was taken care of and sent me to Australia to live with distant relations. I wanted to meet my family and returned to England for a short time in early 1981. There I met my brother, my sister-in-law and nephew. The two were afraid for their infant son and requested that I undergo a blood ritual to bond myself to her blood. Lily wouldn't tell me what she was planning but she was very frightened that her child would be given over to the care of the Dursleys as a result. All she would tell me was that it was blood magic based on love. _

_After that I returned to Australia leaving behind an invitation to come into hiding there. They must have decided to stay in England. I continued with my training and am now a certified war-mage. My war-mage training made it unavoidable that I was out of pocket for a while. I didn't even hear about the boy-who-lived until the day before my final examination! As soon as I heard what had happened I hurried to England and rescued the child. I truly do mean it when I say rescued. The boy was being half-starved and kept in a cupboard. He is here with me now, napping on the couch as a write this letter. I will come and see you soon enough and ask that you not try to find us. I will provide proof that I am able to provide young Harry with the blood protection he needs and that I am able to give him a good, nurturing environment. As he ages I will also be giving him some training. I have an inkling that Voldemort is not, in fact, gone for good and that my nephew will need as much of an edge as I can give him in his coming Hogwarts years. As such, I respectfully request to be given the professorship of History of Magic when young Harry begins at Hogwarts. I intend to retain that position until Harry's fifth year when I wish to take up the mantel of DADA professor. I also wish to head and maintain a dueling club during my tenure at Hogwarts. _

_In closing, I will be coming to see you soon and I assure you that I have nothing but the best intentions towards my nephew. He is perfectly safe. Please allow me a few weeks alone with the lad to counter the emotional and nutritional detriments that the Dursleys have incurred on the lad._

_Yours,_

_James Eustace Potter_

"That ought to do it." With a sigh and a flourish he sealed the letter with the Potter seal and sent it off using one of his owls. Headwig hadn't made the journey with him and he missed her terribly, waiting with anticipation for her to be born. "Now for Moony."

_Dear Mr. Lupin,_

_It has probably come to your attention by this point that Prongs Jr. has gone missing. Fear not, I have him. I am a close relative of young Harry and have rescued him from the Dursley's negligence and outright abuse. He is safe and happy. I am working hard to get him back up to a normal weight for a child his age. The picture I have enclosed is of him napping on my study sofa as I write this letter. I briefly got to know James and found out a lot about his friends and their little adventures. Moony, I regret to say that I have not been entirely truthful with the Headmaster. The truth, as it is often, is too strange to believe and I made up the brother story for Albus' sake. I give you a clue. I am head of the Potter family but no brother, cousin or nephew to James Potter. I have changed my name and will tell you why in time. I also know you quite well although you don't know me at this time._

_I will say this, my friend, many of the things you are sure are true are not and it will be a happy day when the true marauders re-unite. I will be dropping by as soon as I know young Harry is up to weight and recovered emotionally. By my calculations, it will be three weeks to a month. I will be more than happy to continue my correspondence with you and to send you photos of Harry. I greatly wish you to be a part of his life._

_Please don't worry. Everything will be taken care of. The boy is well protected and will soon be both happy and healthy. I will be seeing you soon Moony. I ask that you do not show the headmaster this letter or tell him about my untruthfulness. I would also not appreciate there being a 'welcoming' party waiting for me when I arrive. I will not be bringing Harry with me when I come to meet you. _

_Up to nothing but good,_

_James Eustace Potter_

After James signed the letter he snapped a muggle photo of his younger self and slipped the photo into the folded letter. He then called his other owl over and sent her off with the other letter. Then, with a wicked grin he started on his final letter…

Petunia Dursley honestly didn't know what had hit her. A strange man had shown up at her door claiming to be Harry Potter then taken her nephew away. What was worse, he had threatened to return. Vernon had been elated at the news when he had heard. Dudley was beginning to miss his cousin a bit though. Petunia had no choice but to ask him to do some light chores around the house now that the boy was gone. All in all though, she supposed it was for the best. She was at the counter cutting up vegetables and she never noticed when a man with green eyes, dark, messy hair, and a wicked grin appeared out of nowhere and placed a smoking envelope on the table. She did notice, though when the windows suddenly flew open. She turned around just in time to scream as the man popped into nothing and the howler exploded.

James appeared back on the beach and couldn't help it as he fell down laughing. He had used some of the last of the twin's inventions on her, a heaping howler. Not only would it repeat its message several times, but it also allowed for a few non-permanent hexes and a permanent charm to be placed on any surface around the howler. Thus, Petunia would find herself changing between all the colors of the rainbow, with worm hair, see through clothing, and a forever messy house. The hexes on her person would wear off in a week the one on the house would last until she convinced a wizard to take it off. If James remember correctly, Uncle Vernon had invited potential clients to the house for dinner that night. He had already gotten off work and Petunia would have no way to contact him. It should be an interesting dinner.

Still chuckling, James went back into the house and re-entered the study just as little Harry was waking up.

For the rest of the afternoon, James led the little boy through the forest. He showed him what kind of fruits were good to eat and what kinds could hurt him. The only really dangerous animal on the island were snakes and James told him about his ability, conjured a harmless grass snake and asked the boy to tell it hello. By the end of the day Harry had his first pet, a tiny coral snake he had named Mr. Tibbles. James had questioned the little snake quite extensively before allowing the boy to keep it. He had used a little parsel magic to force the little snake to tell the truth and found out that Mr. Tibbles did truly like the boy. "Ssspeakers", it said, "are ssso rare that ssssnake kind sssshould take care of them." It then asked James if he could convince the boy to not name him Mr. Tibbles. James didn't count on a child's determination though and the snake was stuck with the name. The most the incredibly amused James was able to do for the little snake was get Harry to call him Mr. T. James had been amazed at how good his younger self was with animals. The little boy had played with the monkeys, gained a pet snake, and teased and played with several other native animals. When they finally returned home James had cast a cleansing spell on the boy before he would allow him indoors. He conjured a nice terrarium for Mr. T, and then let Harry help him with dinner. After they had full tummies, Harry had more fun splashing his Uncle James in the tub then had another reading lesson. He was soon snuggled under the covers with another butterbeer in hand as James read him more about Narnia. Sometimes the little boy honestly wondered if he had went through his cupboard into a magical world where his wonderful uncle lived. He was asleep before James finished reading the second chapter. With a smile on his face, James settled the child down for the night and tucked him in dropping a light kiss on the tiny scar. With a yawn, James bid Mr. T. goodnight and closed himself up in his own personal potions lab. Before Moony had died, Harry had been making his wolfsbane potion for him. It had been several years and James was a bit out of practice. He had started the potion the day before he had went to get Harry. James quickly stirred in the next few ingredients as he realized that no one had come up with the potion in this time-line. He chuckled to himself. "I'm going to be a potion master overnight at this rate!" After Hermione had died, Harry had been given no choice but to learn to make the potion for his furry friend. It was one of two vastly complicated potions he had learned to make well. The other being veritaserum.

After going to his mini-gym and working out for about an hour, an exhausted Harry Potter whispered a powerful cleaning charm over himself and fell into bed.

It was only a few hours later when little Harry was awoken from slumber land. He clutched his teddy tightly as he sat up in bed listening to the screaming and yelling echoing through the house. The little boy didn't know it, but many nasty words were being yelled to the sky. Still hugging his teddy, the boy climbed out of bed and cautiously padded to the source of the sound, his uncle's room. Remembering how Uncle James had warned him not to startle him he hugged teddy one last time and threw it with all his might at James. Harry hid behind the door as James woke up with one last scream and wandlessly blasted the bear to teddy heaven. He blinked at being in his own bed, covered by bits of fluff.

A tiny voice whispered from behind his door, "U-uncle James?"

Realizing what had happened James quickly repaired the teddy. "Did I wake you up little one?"

The little boy crept out from behind the door in his footy pajamas and nodded. "Are you ok?"

James nodded and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Y-yeah. Sorry I woke you up."

It was at this time Harry came up with a logical solution. Holding teddy made him feel better when he was scared. Maybe Uncle James needed a hug? With that thought, the little boy climbed up into the big bed and cuddled up to the man giving him a sweet hug.

James held the boy to him tightly and quietly whispered his thanks. Not wanting to be alone at the moment, he tucked them both in and lightly kissed little Harry on his scar. As he allowed himself to calm, he concentrated on the sleepy little body cuddled up to him. He really was a sweet child. It didn't take long for either of them to fall back into the land of dreams.

At the same time that night two very different men received letters. The bearded one's eyes widened the second he read the second line and he immediately checked his charms monitoring the boy's position and discovered that they had been disabled. He didn't even bother reading the rest of the letter as he tucked it into his pocket and went to raise the Order of the Pheonix. The boy-who-lived must be found at all cost.

The second man wearing shabby robes and sitting in a shabby little cottage opened his letter and stared in wonder at the photo. Little Prongs had been captured in quiet repose, a small contented smile on his face and he lay on a big leather couch covered with a brightly colored quilt and cuddling a teddy bear. He quickly turned to the letter and was soon sobbing in relief. He had known all about Petunia Evans and had tried his hardest to get custody of his best friend's child. Just to see him safe and looking so happy was wonderful. The little boy's wrists did look a little thin but his face was flushed with the health of childhood and it was clear that he had the tiniest bit of a tan. He grabbed his quill and some parchment and respectfully requested the owl to stay so he could write a reply. It was with a new gleam in his eye and a small smile that he wrote his reply. He had just sent it off when Albus Dumbledore firecalled him.

AN: As you can see, a nice little plot is starting to emerge. I have most of chapter three done already but as I said, I'm trying to stay at least a chapter ahead.

Addressing some comments and concerns: First of all, thank you for the kind reviews.

Mizukey: I had not seen this idea on the net either. I do believe I am the first. waves origional flag

GoodVibes: You are correct. Uncle James will have to work very hard to maintain a healthy balence between letting Harry become a spoiled brat and molding him into a confident yound man capable of defending himself and others. Should be fun to watch.

India Janeway: Ah yes. That. If you will look in the first chapter I did address the issue. Harry (James) Potter basically created a whole nother dimension when he took his little trip through time. If have ever seen Sliders I based the theory off that. Harry's origional dimension remains the same. It is just missing it's Harry Potter. I will be getting a bit further into the issue as the story goes on.

Sparky: I've already written most of the answers to your questions. Some were in this chapter the others will be addressed in Chapter three.

I fully realize that I do not spell everything correctly in the Harry Potter universe. Frankly, I don't care. If someone wants to beta me feel free. Aside from that, my grammar is very good. I don't have time to look everything up in the Lexicon.

Fic Rec: If you have never read Never Alone, Never Again I DEMAND you go read it now. You will feel like jumping off a cliff at times but the ending is apropriately mushy and sweet.

This chapter has been betaed by Ming Shun. Thanks!

Sara out.


	3. Healing Myself

Chapter Three Healing Myself

These characters and Harry Potter cannon are J.K. Rowlings toys. I just like to snitch them and play with them.

When James woke up, he could tell something was strange. For one thing, he could tell he had rested well. For another, there was a smallish warm weight against him. He kept his eyes closed as memories from the last few weeks trickled into his conscience. A small smile graced his features as he opened his eyes and looked down at the dark mop of hair. Once more, he cursed the Dursleys for hurting the sweet child beside him. To be honest, he was starting to think of his younger self as more of a nephew or even possibly a son than a miniature version of himself. In this time, the bitter, war torn hero of the wizarding world, Harry Potter would never exist. James knew that he couldn't allow the boy to completely retain his innocence. He knew that the boy would have to be able to kill. However, he fully intended Harry to keep his happiness. He would have to be careful and train him according to his age. For the next two years, James intended to allow him to have his childhood. There would be some important beginners training before he turned seven but the first steps would be enjoyable. He knew the child would love learning how to fly and he would introduce survival fighting as a fun way to exercise. After that the training would get more serious as time went on and he would have to sit the boy down and explain why he was being trained so hard. He did intend for Harry to have as much of a childhood as possible but he would be damned if the child entered Hogwarts as grossly unprepared as he had been. He knew he was playing with fate and that no matter what had happened in the in-between he _had_ won in the end. The sacrifice was just far too great for him to allow. He would have to watch the boy carefully to make sure he didn't start to display any amount of big-headedness or even worse, cruelty. However, looking down at the child now he knew there was no fear of that for at least a few years.

James yawned and stretched, allowing his limbs to pop and creak as a few bones popped back into their proper place. Torture had taken it's toll on him and his body was no longer in optimal shape because of it. He shuddered as he remembered his dream.

_Harry flinched as he listened to the heavy footsteps approach. "Great, here the death munchers come again." _

_He hauled his pain ridden body into a sitting then a standing position as he leaned against a wall waiting. He would **not** look weak to the enemy. No matter how much he wanted to lay down and die he refused to give up. _

_The footsteps were right outside his door. As expected, he was incapacitated by a crucitais curse as the men entered. Then the curse was ended and he was lifted to his feet. Harry knew if he resisted he would just be hurt more so he lumbered along with them. _

_When he got to Voldemort's throne room, he wished he had resisted a bit more. There, kneeling before the snake lord in chains was the most important person in his life. Hermione Granger…_

James flinched at the memory and shook his head like a wet dog to clear it. The sleep-warm little body beside him snuffed and rolled over back towards the warm spot.

James grinned and gently shook the boy. "Wakey, wakey time little one." He watched as bleary green eyes opened and the boy peered at him for a moment then blinked. "Good morning, little one."

Harry gave him a cute, tired little smile and yawned. "Mornin." Harry gave him a small hug then climbed out of bed and padded towards his room to get dressed.

James smirked and shook his head. For as long as he could remember, he had been quick to awaken, probably due to the Dursleys banging around and kicking him if he didn't move fast enough. He wondered if water balloons conjured at the boy if he wasn't out of bed quick enough would encourage the child to wake up faster. Still wearing the smirk on his face he got dressed and scrubbed up a little. An ongoing prank war _would_ encourage the boy to learn charms and things faster and, as the twins had proved, pranksters could turn deadly quite quickly. In the war, the Weasley twins and their inventions had taken out innumerable death eaters. Their protection gear was also top notch. The set Harry had worn had been so hardened and charmed that it actually was better than the best dragon hide there was to be had. He went downstairs and found Harry already in the kitchen setting things up. He had not turned on anything. Good. The two worked as a well oiled machine as they prepared breakfast together and very soon they had finished eating.

They were heading out for swimming lesson number two when an owl swooped down and landed on James' arm.

"Harry, you go play sand castles while I read this letter ok? It's from a good friend that I hope you be able to meet soon."

The little boy smiled and nodded as he ran to go play in the sand. James conjured a comfortable beach chair and an umbrella.

_Dear James,_

_First of all, how the bloody hell do you know so much about the Marauders? Second of all, I'm glad Harry's away from the Dursleys. You certainly put a bee in Dumbledore's bonnet though. He has everyone scrambling to look for the kid. He seems to be most worried about Harry no longer being under his mother's protection. Don't worry I won't tell him but I do want assurance that the protection you are providing is as good or better than he got at the Dursleys. I did hear about the brother story and almost laughed at the idea. I'll give you this, you're creative. _

_What did you mean about re-uniting the true Marauders? I'm the only one left that isn't dead or a traitor. May he rot in prison for what he did! _

_I do thank you for the picture you sent me though. It was great seeing Harry like that. I did try to get custody of him, by the way, Dumbledore blocked me. I really should pay those Muggle scum a visit… _

_Dumbledore is convinced you kidnapped Harry. I say anywhere is better that with Lilly's sister. I would very much like to be a part of Prongs Jr.s' life. I thank you for giving me the opportunity. If nothing else, watching everyone running around like chickens with their heads cut off is the most amusement I've gotten in years. _

_I very much look forward to meeting with you and seeing Harry again. I looked in on him two years ago. I almost stalked Privit Drive as my furry alter ego as we used to call it. Please take care of him and write me back. Could you possibly include another picture?_

_Solemnly Swearing to be up to No Good,_

_Fuzzy Face_

James smiled and laughed at the letter and tucked it in his pocket. Then he took out his camera and snapped a photo of little Harry concentrating on decorating a small sand turtle with shells he had found on the beach. So Moony would know they were living on the beach, big deal. He slipped the photo in his pocket and made a note to himself to reply to his favorite uncle during Harry's nap time. Then he took off his loose pants leaving him in swim shorts. He then walked over and picked up his little counterpart carrying into the water as if he was an American line backer. Harry shrieked and giggled the whole way.

Little Harry was able to float by himself for two minutes by the time the lesson ended. After lunch and nap-time for Harry while James responded to Moony, James introduced Little Harry to magic. He had went to Diagon Alley for supplies before he "kidnapped" Harry and had managed to get his wand. Seeing as he still had his old wand, he gave the new one to Harry. The first spell he taught was a painting spell that he and Ron had goofed around with a lot when they had first started looking for the horocruxes. The spell was very simple and it would be a good way to introduce the child to magic. With a grin he pointed his wand at Harry and said, "_Pingo Pink!_" Suddenly the child's shirt was no longer blue. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or cry. James grinned at him.

"The incantation is Pingo then you say the color you want. I can easily get the paint off and I want you to shoot back at me." He grinned again. "Let's see how much of a mess we can make hu?" Slowly, the child smiled back at him.

"Uncle James, you're weird. _Pingo Orange!_" Harry giggled as a big orange spot appeared on his uncle's stomach.

James looked down at his shirt and laughed. "Very good Harry, you caught on quick. Now, let the battle begin!"

After that the beach was filled with Pingos and with the laughter of a child and his uncle. Harry greatly enjoyed the Color game. He wouldn't realize until years later that all the shooting, ducking and diving he was doing was giving him deadly instincts. But for now, it was all just a game to him. James had stuck with pink while Harry had somehow came up with the worse colors imaginable. James hadn't known puke green was really a color until he was wearing it. He had less color spots but the colors, ugh. Harry was completely pink except for his eyes. James had put a shield around both of their eyes before the game started. After about an hour James called for break time and gave the child a small math lesson in the sand. After that, it was back to the color game. He was glad that Harry liked it so much. The color game would be played at least five times a week and when the child turned seven, the game would turn to dueling. Harry was so tired after the game that he almost fell asleep in his dinner. He woke up a little for bath time and story time but fell asleep soon after. James tucked him in and dropped a kiss to the child's scar then went down to his potions lab again.

Remus Lupin was one amused Marauder. Dumbledore had asked him to visit the Dursleys to find out how and why Harry had been taken. A little butterball of a boy had opened the door. The house had been a mess. It really did look as if a tornado had struck. There was a woman crying on the couch that looked as if she had been on the bad end of more than just a few pranks. All the pictures on the mantle piece had twirling mustaches on the faces in the pictures. Moony had been especially amused by the baby Dursley picture. The woman had recognized him and had both pleaded and demanded that he take the spells off. Remus had claimed he didn't know how to undo the spells, even though he did, and had promised to ask someone to come fix everything, yeah, in about a month or two. As soon as he had apperated away and was safe back in his cottage, he had just about collapsed on the floor laughing. "That was worthy of the Marauders!" He was just about to write a letter the mysterious James when an owl flew his window and waited patiently for him to take the letter it bore.

_Dear Moony,_

_I hope this letter finds you well and in good spirits. I sent along another photo, this one of Harry playing in the sand this morning as I read your letter. He's quite the little artist! _

_In answer to your questions, I'm afraid right now isn't the time to tell you. When I come see you in a few weeks I will be delighted to provide you with all the answers you want. Harry does know that I am writing you and begs me to say hi. He doesn't remember you however, he is quite attached to the wolf and dog plushies I got for him. I tell you what, as evidence of my good faith I will allow you to capture the traitor to the Marauders. Go to the Weasleys. Young Percy has a pet rat you may be interested in. It's name is Scabbers. You would know him as Wormtail. That's right, Sirius may not be as innocent as the purely driven snow, but he is innocent of betraying James and Lilly Potter and of killing all those Muggles. Harry needs his godfather. Please get him out of that hell he is in right now. _

_Unfortunately, due to the suspicion in the last war, neither James nor Sirius decided to tell you that the secret keeper had been changed at the last minute. After all, who would expect trembling little Peter to be the secret keeper? They didn't know that Peter had been spying on them for almost two years already. _

_Feel free to reply to this letter but after that, I want Sirius freed before I write you back. My next letter will contain who I really am, a small token of my esteem, and a few pictures of Harry. I would take care of this Sirius problem myself but I am trying to get Harry healthy again. _

_Go to the Weasleys, Moony. I would trust you with my life so I have no problem trusting you with this. Oh, and give Wormtail a swift kick in the pants for me would you?_

_In other news, I would truly love to see Dumbledore running around like that. If you want another good laugh, go visit the Dursleys. _

_Yours in mischief,_

_James _

Just to make sure he had read the letter correctly, Remus scanned over the letter again. "Oh Sirius! Dear Merlin!" The man couldn't help it as he buried his head in his hands and sobbed. He was sure the man would never forgive him.

"Pettigrew's alive." A rage like none other filled his person as he grabbed his wand and a hand full of Floo Powder. "The Burrow!" The former last Marauder disappeared in a swirl of green flames. It was time to correct old mistakes, re-gain an old friend and make an old nemesis wish he had never been born.

For James and Harry, time was moving quickly. Each passing day brought new healthy color to the small boy's cheeks and a bit more shine in the wide, emerald eyes. Harry had lived with his uncle only a little more than a week and he was already starting to look like a normal, healthy child. It was mostly the work of nutritional potions but having good, regular meals and snacks in between wasn't hurting either. Everything was wonderful for the boy. He loved all his lessons, especially the color game and he had even learned one other spell, Lumos. It was fun having a nightlight whenever he wanted. Harry loved his new pet and had taken to wearing him has a bracelet a lot. James had been forced to keep a schedule for feeding the snake otherwise little Harry would have already stuffed it silly.

James, for his part, was feeling better than he had in years. Having a little boy around helped him not to focus on what had happened to him. He couldn't deny that the affection the little boy lavished on him wasn't helping too. He had only had one more bad nightmare and like last time, he had awoken to the sad remains of a teddy bear and concerned green eyes watching him. It was a good feeling to have someone who cared again.

James had started Harry running on the beach for exercise and luckily, Harry loved it. As expected, the little boy was fast, really fast from being chased by his portly cousin all the time. What James didn't remember was that there was a time when he had simply loved to run. James figured it was the closest he could get to flying at the time. Speaking of flying, he had held off introducing the child to the joys of flying until all the Marauders were there to watch. Some moments just needed to be shared. About five days had passed since Remus had sent his reply and James was eagerly awaiting news that Sirius was free.

_Dear James,_

_Dear Merlin what have I done? I left my best friend in that hell for four years. Fear not though, things are being fixed. I flooed over to the Burrow and had Pettigrew caught before you can say rat. Arthur, of course, was horrified as was Molly. They both helped me secure him and held him down while I applied a few well chosen curses to his person. He was mostly a pile of goo by the time he and I arrived at the ministry. Ho boy were Fudge and Crouch mad! _

_Once they un-gooied the rat, he was given Veristrim and admitted to everything you said. You will be happy to know that Sirius is out of Azkaban and awaiting trial in one of the ministry holding cells. I've already been down to see him once. He's so thin! I did tell him about you though, hope that's alright, and he's very curious to say the least. The ole dog forgave me as I forgave him for thinking I was the traitor. I doubt the ministry holding cells have held that much cheer for a long time. _

_Padfoot's trial is going to be held in about one week. I'll contact you with the results. Dumbledore's getting suspicious that I know more than I say I do with the traitor's capture and all. I don't care. Did you know they didn't even give poor Padfoot a trial!? I certainly didn't! Dumbledore himself told me that Sirius had been found guilty! Oh no, it will be a cold day in hell before I tell him squat! _

_Going on to more entertaining things, I saw the Dursleys and Messer Moony congratulates you on a prank well pulled. I especially loved it when she turned pink with purple stripes. I did leave a prank or three behind. Sorry you'll get the blame for it. Vernon Dursley should have a nice set of walrus teeth to go with the mustache and Dudley, well he will find it difficult to eat anything sweet without squealing like a pig. I also left a little present for the squib neighbor that was **supposed** to be looking out for Harry. I'm afraid all of her feline friends will be rather cold when winter comes around. _

_The picture of Harry is adorable, Padfoot liked it too. I look forward to writing you with good news very soon. Otherwise, I will be sending you an invitation to storm Azkaban with me. Padfoot will ride again!_

_Once more up to no good,_

_Moony_

James had been relieved that Sirius was away from the dementors and had sent a couple more pictures of Harry and the completed version of Wolfsbain potion along with a short note.

_Dear Messers Moony,_

_Messers Thunder would like to congratulate you on getting Padfoot away from the bad soul sucking things. Thus, he offers you a gift. Take this potion once a day for the entire week before the full moon. I think you will like the results. _

_Harry is doing better than expected and I will probably be coming to see you two very soon after the trial. I am looking forward to seeing you my friend. Tell Padfoot Uncle James says hi._

_Mischievous as can be, _

_Thunder_

_P.S. Nice job on Vernon. I did always think he resembled an especially large walrus._

James had waited until the week of the full moon to send his little package. He couldn't wait to see Moony's response. He looked out the window at his young protégé, yes, Harry was coming along quite well. The little boy was currently sitting under a tree attempting to read a simple children's book. They had just finished another round of Pingo and both Harry's were quite tired. James could already tell that the boy was getting faster and he was starting to put some strategy into the little paint battles. James mentally patted himself on the back. Pingo was the best idea he had come up with yet!

It hadn't taken long for them to fall into a comfortable pattern. They cooked breakfast together then ate and spent the mornings playing in the sand and learning how to swim. Harry was now to the point that he could paddle short distances to James. After lunch, it was naptime for Harry and sometimes himself. Harry was a bit more comfortable letting his dear uncle out of his sight. For almost the whole first week the child had been convinced it was all a dream or that his uncle wouldn't want him anymore and would return him to the Dursleys. Harry had been plagued with a nightmare or two himself. James had simply held the small boy close as he cried from the night terror then carried him to what Harry had dubbed, "the big bed" and had let his presence chase away any thoughts of the Dursleys. After naptime the two either played Pingo or romped through the forest. James had offered to let him play with the little girls he had met on his first day on the Island but the sweet boy had shook his head and said he would rather spend time with his Uncle James.

That was another thing that was improving, the child didn't have very much of a lisp at all anymore when he spoke. All it took was a gentle correction from James and Harry tried his hardest to pronounce the word correctly.

Usually, an hour or two in the afternoon was dedicated to either maths or learning to write. Neither Harry liked math very much but James wanted the lad to at least be able to take Ancient Runes instead of class with Treloony.

Albus Dumbeldore was not a happy man. Not only was Harry Potter missing but Sirius Black was scheduled for his trial in just a few days. He was happy that the man had been innocent he was just vexed at himself for not seeing it. It was quite clear that a few heads were going to roll once Sirius was exonerated. He didn't expect his head to be one of them but Remus had already sent him a howler for assuring him that his best friend had been found guilty when he had, in fact, not even been given a trial. Remus had even gone so far as to say that as long as Harry was safe he didn't much care who had him. Albus had been aware that the baby Harry would not have an especially happy childhood. The tiny baby was a hero and could not be allowed to grow up in the wizarding world. The child would be spoiled rotten and might end up worse than Tom Riddle. At the same time, he had to be protected so he couldn't be given to any ordinary Muggle family. It was unfortunate but the sacrifice was for the greater good. How dare that so-called James Potter ruin his plans!

Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were very excited young men. Sirius' lawyer had gone so far as to say that he may as well stay home the day of the trial. It was such an open and shut case. The real culprit had already been captured and had confessed under truth potion. All that remained was to free the innocent man accused of another's crimes. Sirius was responding well to the post Azkaban ministry treatment he was being given and his cell had been provided with quite a few creature comforts. It was clear that the ministry was trying to cool the Black heir's temper before the trial began. Any friends of Black's were allowed to visit at any time and the man's guard was a rather friendly chap that loved to tell entertaining stories. All that remained was the trial. The healing had already begun for the pair in England, and the pair on their little Island paradise.

AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As you can see, more questions are being answered and we are very close to the re-unificaton of the three Marauders. I wrote the fourth chapter last night and I must warn you, the rating will be going up to Teen and there isn't much happy cute in the next chapter. That's right folks, we will be getting into James' hellish life. I'm sure most of you have a good idea what the chapter will be like from what I have written already. It gets kinda heavy and I was forced to re-cap a lot of things. I did my best to throw in some humor and don't worry, no cliffies... yet.

Thank you for all the kind reviews.

Fic recomendation: I am happy to tell you that The Horse and The World Without me have updated. They are both worthy reads.


	4. Reunions and Memories of Myself

Chapter Four: Reunions and Memories of Myself

**AN: The top letter in this chapter requires guidance. The lines under (p) are penned by Sirius and the lines under (m) are written by ole furry face. The rating has gone up in this chapter. You have been warned. That is all.**

James Potter was a happy man. He had just gotten the news he was waiting for. Remus _and_ Sirius had responded this time and they had included a copy of the daily prophet.

(p)

_My dear Thunder, _

_It is with great delight that I write you as a free member of society. The Ministry even gave me a king's ransom for how they had "wronged me". I say stuff it! _

(m)

_Padfoot, be nice to the silly idiots. You've already sent them twelve pranked letters. Thunder, thank you for all you've done for us. That potion you sent me was earth-shattering to be sure. I kept my mind the entire time! _

(p)

_Yes, I too thank you, oh mysterious benefactor, for your help in getting my dear furry face to see the light. However did you know? I was convinced that I was going to die in that awful place. Thankfully, a dog isn't near as susceptible to the duhmentors as a mere mortal human. I haven't even met you and I already love you. If you told me the sun shone out of your bum I would probably believe it. I would have to pull off your pants and have a look though._

(m)

_Sirius be serious!_

(p)

_I am._

(m)

_Oh shut it! Anyway, Padfoot is right about one thing. Whatever strange explanation you have for knowing all this we will probably believe. There is a pot of tea waiting for you when you have arrived. Don't worry. I already gave Padfoot a flea bath. _

(p)

_Oy! I don't have fleas!_

(m)

_Not anymore you don't. We eagerly await your triumphant arrival and your explanation. Please hurry though, Padfoot won't stop bouncing around the place in excitement. Be prepared to have the breath hugged out of you, by both of us._

_Reunited in mischief, _

_Padfood & Moony_

James couldn't help but laugh at the letter. It would be so good to have the two of them home. Harry had lived with him on the Island for two straight weeks and was much healthier than expected. The child was still thin but no longer dangerously starved. He looked over at Harry, napping on the study couch and decided to visit the Marauders after the child was in bed. He would lace his bed time butter beer with a mild sleeping and dreamless potion to make sure the little boy didn't wake up scared and alone. He looked over at the child and dashed off a quick reply.

_Dear Mischievous ones, _

_Pack your bags boys! If all goes well, you will be coming home with me tonight. I will come to see you as soon as Harry is in bed. You are not to tell him any of what we will be discussing tonight. I will tell him when I think he is ready. If nothing else, he will know everything before he goes to Hogwarts. _

_Much of what I say tonight will be hard to believe and yes, Padfoot, I have spotted some rays coming from my posterior.  I ask that you please keep an open mind and be ready to leave as soon as the conversation is over. If it takes to long, I will introduce you to Harry and then go back to bed letting you two deal with the hyper-active five year old for once._

_Awaiting with baited breath,_

_Thunder_

James then read through the Daily Prophet article and with a huge grin on his face, framed the article and hung it on his wall. James sent the letter off with one of his owls and stepped over to where the little boy slept.

"Wakey, wakey sleepy head."

Harry groaned into his pillow and mumbled something about five more minutes.

"Fraid not, little one. I need to talk to you and it will probably take a long while."

Bleary green eyes stared up at him.

"Budge up." He sat down behind the little boy and put his arm around the thin shoulders. "You know how I told you that you had another uncle and a god-father?"

The little boy nodded.

"Well, I'm going to see them tonight after you are safe in bed. I'm probably going to be gone most of the night so I will be putting something extra in your drink before you go to sleep. All it will do is keep you asleep and from having bad dreams. If all goes well tonight, you will have two more people to love you and help look after you. I know the two of them really well. Remus is a good friend of mine and is as gentle as a lamb. He has a problem that makes him sick whenever the moon is full and at that time he is where you can catch the sickness. So I want you to obey me to the letter and never go into the cellar when the moon is full."

Harry nodded again.

"Sirius is your god-father and a very good man. Unfortunately, he was falsely accused of hurting your mummy and daddy and the prison he was in was a very bad place. Very bad things lived there that hurt him and made him sad so you need to be extra nice to him. One very fun thing is that Sirius can turn into a big black doggy. He probably won't be any worse off than I am, you know jumping at sudden noises and all."

Harry looked excited. "He's a doggy?"

"Yep, a very nice doggy that we call Padfoot. I bet he'll want to play with you a lot. Careful though, dog breath is smelly."

The child giggled.

James did end up spending most of the rest of the day telling little Harry about Sirius and Remus. Harry was especially happy when he heard Remus had tried to get Harry as his little boy instead of the Dursleys. He was just a little sad that Moony's sickness prevented him from having children. Just before dinner, James squeezed in a short run and after dinner, a reading lesson. Then it was bath time and bedtime for the excited little boy. He kept asking questions about them so James decided to tell another Marauder story instead of the usual Narnia book. They were about a third of the way through the first book by now. He gave the child his laced butter beer and told the little boy one of the many adventures he had been told about.

After Moony had led the rescue attempt and Harry was once again safe, about all the poor young man had been able to do was listen to Remus tell stories of the Marauders and of better days. It had helped the green eyed hero immensely and helped him get over the loss of his busy haired companion. For they had killed Hermione, first they had broken her, abused her in every way possible and made Harry watch. Then, when she was lying catatonic on the floor before him, they had given him a knife and told him if he didn't do it, she would become a whore for the death eaters' use. With tears in his eyes, Harry had gently closed her wide, terrified eyes and had removed what little remained of his robe and tucked it around her cold body. Then, he had whispered to her that she was free and to tell his parents hello and gave her one last sweet kiss. Trembling, he had slid the knife between her ribs and behind her breast bone straight into her heart. She hadn't even noticed she had been so far gone. Harry had held her hand till her shuddering breaths stopped then let out an animalistic scream. His accidental magic had shattered the wards letting Moony and crew in. Harry had considered it Hermione's last gift to him.

Looking down, James noticed the little boy was already deeply asleep before he had even finished the story. He gently tucked the boy in and dropped a kiss on his scar. He then wove a few magic spells around the child to alert him if, for some reason, Harry left his bed then he instructed Mr. T to keep a watch over the little boy. Mr. T nodded and hissed from his place on the boy's pillow and James left the house to go reacquaint himself with old friends.

"Padfoot, for the last time if you don't sit down I'll…" Remus was interrupted by a knock at the door. He watched in vague amusement as Sirius flung himself at the door in his haste to open it.

"Thunder!" A man about their age with vivid green eyes and fly-away dark hair laughed. "Padfoot! Moony!" Then, with amusement dancing in his eyes he grabbed them both and drew them into a tight hug.

"Merlin, it's good to see you two again!"

It wasn't long before they were all sitting in circle with cups of tea in their hands and a steaming pot between them. Remus decided to start.

"So who are you, really and why the whole cloak and dagger act."

James didn't say a word. He simply put down his cup whispered an incantation over his forehead and lifted his bangs.

"BLOODY HELL!"

James was impressed. They had done that as one. With a smirk on his face he leaned forward in his chair and stuck out his hand towards them.

"The name's Harry James Potter. Pleased to meet you." As one, both Marauder's mouths dropped open. James had no choice but to sit back in his chair and laugh. This conversation was even more entertaining than he had anticipated. Remus was the first to regain the power of speech.

"B-but how?"

James smiled. "My dear Moony, never underestimate the power of disgruntled death eaters. They were mad at me for killing old Moldyvoldie and decided to go back in time and kill my five year old self. I, of course could not allow this and kicked their posteriors something awful. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately considering the opportunity I've been given, I was shoved at a bad moment and shoved headlong into the time portal that took Voldie's best and brightest several years, human sacrifices and most of their magic to construct. I found myself here, in this time and simply by coming here I created a new dimension. I'm not sure if Time turners create new dimensions or not though my guess is no. It's probably only those portal things that do it. After realizing that I could do whatever the hell I wanted in this new time and dimension, I broke this world's Harry out of prison and set about trying to get my god-father free. An extra bonus was that I brought back knowledge of a certain potion that makes full moons much easier for our fuzzy friend."

"S-so you killed V-Voldemort?"

"With immense pleasure."

Sirius finally spoke up. "Wait a minute. He's supposed to be dead! No one can come back from the dead!"

"Technically, both of you have for me. Voldemort is not dead. He's just been weakened enough that he isn't much of a threat right now. If memory serves, he is hiding out in Albania at the moment. As to the how, have either of you ever heard of a horocrux?" Both men went sheet white. "Good, this will make the explanation easier. Right now his soul is in six pieces, by the time I killed him it was up to seven. I know where those pieces are hidden. I know how to get around the traps. I should be immune to a few of the traps due to my disturbing connection with ole Voldie. When he cast the killing curse on me and my younger self, he forged a connection between us. Once he regains a body, my younger self and possibly me will begin to get visions of what he is doing. These can't be blocked and they are painful."

"Good Merlin, Harry!"

"Call me James, it is my middle name and calling me Harry would be confusing to my younger self."

"Alright then, James, this is still a lot to take in and I can see why Harry can't know about this just yet. Tell us everything, James, how did your life pan out?"

"Badly. Ok, get comfortable. This is gonna take awhile. Obviously, there was no "Uncle James" to break me out of the cupboard AKA my prison cell at the Dursleys, yes they kept me in a cupboard. Yes I was abused. No it wasn't extreme but it was enough to stunt my growth and my magic. I was never fed enough and my cousin was constantly beating me. So you can only imagine my surprise when, on my eleventh birthday, I learn from Hagrid that the Dursley's unwanted little freak is the hero of the wizarding world, the-boy-who-lived…

James told them the whole story, of meeting real friends for the first time, of his first year at Hogwarts, and of battling the traitor and winning the Philosopher's Stone. By the time he reached the part where the Weasley Twins rescued him, both Marauders were darkly muttering how they should return to the household and prank them even worse.

"I'd rather you not. More pranks was what I threatened Petunia with in my pranked howler to her if she told anyone who had taken her nephew away. I don't think she believed me but better safe than sorry."

James told them all about his second year, his parseltongue ability that was inherited from Voldemort, and battling the Bazkalisk in the Chamber of Secrets. The Marauders were _very_ amused by him blowing up aunt Marge. Sirius however, was not amused that he had been imprisoned for twelve years.

"You mean to say that I was stuck in that hell hole for twelve years!? Four was bad enough, but twelve! Did I have any sanity left?"

"Err… some. Enough that you checked up on me before running off to try and kill Pettigrew."

James continued with his story pausing to answer the Marauder's questions and boy were there a lot of them. When James got to the end of fifth year Sirius just about had a conniption.

"What!? I go through all that in Azakaban just to die by being thrown through the veil?! That's so weak!"

James bowed his head and nodded. "It was the second death that I can clearly remember and it was one of the hardest. I tried to leap after you but Remus held me back. Your death was really when things started to unravel. I was so confused, hurt and out of touch that I tried to do something awful that night. I went after Bellaxtrix. I tried to cast Crucitaus on her. Thankfully, it didn't' work."

He told the horrified men about being fully possessed by Voldemort and how he had been portkeyed back to the headmaster's office only to receive the worst news of his life.

"So when it came right down to it, I was the only one that could kill him. Dumbledore had lousy timing. I threw a fit, broke most of the stuff in his office. Couldn't tell you what the last few days of term were like because I don't remember a bloody thing."

He did manage to briefly entertain the Marauders with Dumbledore's admonition of the Dursleys.

"Bout time someone told the Muggle scum off."

He told of Malfoy's plot and how no one had believed him, not even the one person that had always believed in him, Hermione.

"Once I realized she thought I was imagining things, I was really hurt. Maybe she thought I'd went around the twist from everything that had been happening." He shook his head. "That was the worst year for us." Ron had been off chasing, what seemed to be anything in skirt and Hermione couldn't stand to be around Ron at all.

"I'd like to be able to say that they were a good match but they weren't. They were always fighting, they shared almost no interests, it was a match made in hell really."

Ginny Weasley had been his calm in the storm.

"She made me feel like a normal person. It was wonderful."

With a sorrowful heart, James told the rest of the sixth year story, how he learned all about horocruxes from Dumbledore, everything except how to destroy them.

"Maybe he was planning showing me how when we had gotten the locket. I can never be sure."

He told about the horrors in the cave and about how it felt to feed that vile potion to his poor headmaster. He apparated them both away only to step right into hell.

"That whole night was something from out of a nightmare. I think back on that night and I still shudder."

He told of Draco's plan and of Snape's betrayal. He told of the desperate run after Snape and how the man had batted him off as if he were a fly.

He told of the funeral and how he had broken up with his girl-friend to protect her.

After that, it was back to the Dursleys with me. Ron and Hermione came with me and it was almost like first year all over again. Sure, we planned and even trained a little but that summer, I got to see Muggle London for the first time."

It was by far, the best time he had ever had staying with the Dursleys.

"We made out a list of possible places. We couldn't for the life of us place who R.A.B. was. We decided to check out the old orphanage where he stayed, Albania where he had hidden for so long, the Chamber of Secrets where he had discovered his legacy and Borgin and Berks. It was possible he had left a horocrux in the care of his old boss, without the greedy man knowing it of course. First though, I wanted to visit Godric's Hollow."

It had been the saddest place he had ever seen. Everything was wrecked and ruined. Luckilly, the place had been protected from thieves. It was there Harry had found another Gringotts key, the key to the Potter family vault.

"I'm proud to say that the Potter family mostly financed the war against Voldemort."

And a war it had been. Dementors were set loose in droves to prey upon towns. The Muggles were convinced it was some sort of biological weapon and had ordered quarantines and curfews. Looking back, it seems as if Engand had suddenly been plunged back into the dark ages.

"No one trusted anyone, looters and robbers were everywhere and death eaters were out and about, looking for us."

The three teens had been forced to go into hiding right after Bill's wedding, one of the few last bright spots in Harry's life. Harry constantly carried polyjuice potion and sometimes gathered hair off the muggles around him. Every time he ventured outdoors he wore a different face. Hermione had cut her hair and dyed it blonde she had also purchased a pair of tinted reading glasses for herself and charmed the lenses to be normal glass. Ron, on the other hand, grew his hair out and dyed it a dark green. He constantly slouched in public and squinted a lot.

The orphanage proved to be a bust and they couldn't get to Albania easily nor could they barge into Borgin's asking for a look. At Hogwarts they hit pay dirt. Harry re-entered the chamber, his two friends by his side and all had proceeded to ransack the place. Harry had found the horocrux sitting on a shelf in a tiny room behind the main Bazkilisk chamber. Hermione had checked Huffelpuff's cup for triggers and hexes and had found plenty. There was no way to remove the curse. The second the cup was removed, the ceiling would start to fall. Harry had retrieved his broom and told his friends to wait just outside the gateway. It had been a narrow escape and Harry would have died if not for a quick levitating charm from Hermione for him and Ron for his broom.

"It had been dangerous but we were ok and we had a horocrux. That's when we began to think we might make it after all."

Their next find had been pure chance. They had returned to Grimwalde Place to ransack the library in search of a way to destroy a horocrux.

"By dumb luck, I turned around and the Black family tapestry caught my eye. There it was, right there on the cloth, Regulis, Alpherd Black. I shouted so loud I woke up Mrs. Black's portrait!"

Hermione had caught on right away and by the time Harry summoned Kreature she had Ron up to speed. They had forced the location out of the house elf and even though they hadn't found anything in the library about horocruxes, came away victorious. Though they searched Borgin's they came up empty.

Then it was off to Albania. It took them several months of searching, but they eventually found Ravenclaw's seal in an inferni ridden trap in the middle of nowhere. They had been given a portkey and were so injured they had to use it. They didn't know that an alerting spell was on the last horocrux. Voldemort knew he was in trouble. Harry had just enough time to find the ancient spell that would allow him to release the soul piece inside and cleanse the artifacts before all three were captured.

"It was hell, true hell. I'm still not sure how long they held us."

At first they just wanted to know where the horocruxes were. Then Voldemort found out that they had been destroyed. He wanted revenge. He killed Ron in a fountain of blood the moment he found out then threw him back in his cell while telling Harry to think on what kind of fate the girl had awaiting her.

"I broke that night. I never told her, but on our journeys I had fallen in love with her. Horocrux hunting wasn't exactly a romantic setting to reveal my feelings so I stayed silent."

James finally broke down in tears.

"They killed her… in the worst way imaginable then they forced me to kill her body. In a way though, her death was what I needed to finish the job."

His accidental magic had blown through the wards and allowed Remus and the rest of the Order into Voldemort's stronghold. Once Harry regained his wand he killed Nagini with the killing curse then had turned to Voldemort with dark hatred in his eyes.

"Next time we meet, Tom, it will be for the last time." Voldemort had fled soon after and a sobbing Harry Potter was carried out by Remus.

"It took Remus three weeks to nurse me back to health and I learned more about my parents then than I had my whole life. Most of the stories I tell Harry now are the one he told me when I was laid up in bed staring at the ceiling all day trying to piece my shattered mind back together. One week after I recovered, I tracked Voldemort down, tortured him for a few minutes and blew him up with a Muggle bomb. I thought it was fitting."

After the war was the most difficult time for Harry. "Everyone I ever loved was dead. Remus was killed in the final battle. I confined myself to St. Mungos for a year then traveled the world for another six months. Out of spite and a thirst for more revenge I became a hit wizard. I didn't even require pay. If it was a former or even suspected death eater I was more than happy to kill them."

Harry had done that for a few years and had almost allowed himself to grow cold and uncaring when he stumbled upon a bunch of former death eaters, the last uncaptured or killed ones, anyway. It hadn't taken Harry long to figure out their plans and he had rushed in to bag him some more death eaters.

"Like I said, I was pushed into the portal and ended up here. Once I realized I could change things I went and got really drunk then spent the next few weeks trying to get my head on straight. You know the story from there."

With a sad sigh, James took a large gulp of his tea and leaned back in his chair.

For a few minutes they just stared at him.

"Bloody hell! Did you kill fate's brother or something!?"

James gave a wane smile. "Must of. The important thing is, I can change how things go down this time. If we do things right, we can have all the horocruxes destroyed by Harry's fourth year."

The three Marauders, for James had been given the nickname Thunder before Moony died tried to focus on positive things after that. Sirius told James a few stories about his parents and more adventures of the Marauders. Both men worked very hard to cheer the younger man up. They had realized that James thought of them as parental figures and that no, they weren't too manly for hugs. In the end, James was sitting on the couch safely sandwiched between the two Marauders. James had cried a lot once they moved to that new position and had held tightly to both of them as he let out his grief. In the end though, it was a semi-cheerful group that pocketed several shrunken bags and Portkeyed back to the Island.

AN: Erk! Where did that come from!? As you can see the rating went up in this chapter… I wonder why. I promise that things will get cute and happy again in the next chapter. The story did need to be told though and this was a difficult chapter to write. Sorry about the re-hash of the first six books. I tried to keep it short. I admit, I am an H/HR fan. I ask that R/HR fans not try to hunt me down. Same for Hermione fans. I hated killing her off but just think! She's alive in this universe! Umm I'm gonna go hide now. runs

Thanks to all my kind reviewers. I will now address questions and concerns.

mumimeanjudy: His actions will have a huge effect on the future. Basically, he has gone and told fate to screw it'self and as long as James can destroy the horocruxes and get Harry trained up by the time Voldemort regains a body, he's happy.

MingShun: glomp Sounds great! Yeah just check for any spelling mistakes and make sure that I didn't hit a typo while I was writing. I haven't read back through most of my chapters yet. There will be no time limit on the chapters. I will update the old archives with your corrections whenever my second read-through and your spell checker joke is ready. Thanks for the offer!

Sparky: I don't want to reveal the plot, but I will say that James could kick Dumbledore's toosh from his island, to england and back. Little Harry isn't going anywhere.

Since When: ...I was not aware of this. However, I did start this story back in April. I was just so busy I had no time to write and I was focusing on different things. Thank you for bringing this to my attention though. I did wonder why no one had come up with the idea before but since I started the story in April and the other story was posted in October. sooo I'm still origonal. waves flag


	5. Introducing Myself

Please remember, the dollies in this story are J.K. Rowlings. She just lets me play with her toys.

Chapter Five: Introducing Myself

Sirius had the sense to ask what the story James had told Harry was before they set off. James nodded.

"Just that I was a relative of his fathers and that I've been away fighting bad men. He doesn't have any clue about who or what he is and he has never heard of Voldemort. He's caught me in a few nightmares so I don't know what he heard then. By the way guys, if you startle me on purpose, come up behind me and grab me, wake me up suddenly from sleep, or anything like that, the consequences are on your own heads. I don't mine pranks, just be careful which ones you try on me. Try not to slip and call me Harry and do be careful with Harry. He did just come from an abusive home. Siri, you're a great guy but the one time I tried your cooking I had a nasty case of food poisoning. Thus, you are banned from the kitchen." James smirked while Remus laughed at his friend. "Remy, if you wake me up with that cold water trick, I will disembowel you." It was Sirius' turn to laugh.

"Are we clear on the rules?"

Both men nodded. "Good. Hold on to the portkey then. Oh, and please keep your hands and legs inside the vehicle at all times." He grinned. "Always wanted to say that. Take us home!"

With the traditional hook behind their navels and a whirl of color they were off. Both men noticed that James looked a little green during the trip and was gripping his wand in an iron hold. They landed in a pile on a sandy beach. James was the first to re-gain his feet.

"Welcome to the Lion's Retreat." James looked at the sky and saw that the sun was just about to rise. "I knew you lot would keep me up all night." He took out his wand and waved it at the house. An extra room seemed to grow out of the wood and was soon bulging out of the side of the house. To make things look even, he gave himself a balcony.

Remus looked impressed. "That's serious magic, James."

"Of course it is, I didn't kill Voldemort with a levitating charm after all."

Sirius grinned. "Touché."

James just rolled his eyes. "Try not to make me re-name this place the nut house. Cmon, let me give you the tour."

Both men were understandably impressed with the Island and the charms protecting it. They loved the house and got to work decorating their rooms as soon as they were shown them. James helped by charming their ceilings and assisting both men wherever he could in an effort to stay awake. He was exhausted. Luckily, all the banging around and loud talking woke little Harry up and James smiled in relief when his alert charm went off.

"He's up. I'll go get him and introduce myself to you." He grinned. "When he is told everything I plan to have fun confusing other people."

As he left the room, he heard Remus quip, "Yep, he's a Marauder!"

James walked down the hall to Harry's room and gently knocked on the door before entering. Harry smiled sleepily at him and gave him a hug.

"Mornin Uncle James. Are my other Uncles here yet?"

"You bet, kiddo. They can't wait to meet you. Go ahead and brush your teeth and wash your face before I take you to meet them. You can stay in your jammies though if you like."

"They won't mind?"

James smiled and the picture the child made in his lion pajamas with the fuzzy lion on the front. "Somehow I doubt it."

Harry gave a sleepy nod and obeyed his uncle. When the child was finished, James easily picked him up and held the shy child in his arms as he left the room and headed for where the Marauders were. Harry was such a shy child. He had already buried his face in James' neck and they hadn't even entered the room yet. He gently kicked the door all the way open and was aware how the child tensed when he walked in the room. There was a large smile on both older men's faces as they watched James come in carrying a messy haired, pajama clad little boy that was clinging to the younger man. James smiled and bounced Harry in his arms a little.

"Little one, come on out of there and meet your uncles." After a bit of gentle coxing, a childish face emerged from James' neck and huge green eyes peered at the two men in front of him. James hugged him lightly. "These are your uncles. The man with the dark hair is Sirius Black. He's the one that turns into a doggy. The man with lighter hair is Remus Lupin. He's the nice one."

Sirius scowled. "Hey I'm nice too!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "That may be, but as least I know to be quiet around a shy child."

Sirius glanced at the boy in question and sure enough, he had resumed hiding his face in James shirt.

James motioned for the two men to come with him and headed for the study. He sat down on the big plushy couch and pried Harry's death grip from around his neck and set the child in his lap with his arms securely around the little waist.

"Both your new uncles are very nice men, Harry. Sirius is just loud while Remus is quiet. They both are a lot of fun and really wanted to come and help take care of you. These two used to baby-sit you when you were a baby and I bet they know a lot more stories about your Mummy and Daddy than I do. They have both loved you since you were born. They were your Mummy and Daddy's best friends."

James motioned the men to sit down on either side of him and for a few minutes, all four sat quietly on the couch together.

Harry took a good look at both men and cocked his head. "You're in a lot of the pitures in my room. And… you look…" He looked deep into Sirius' eyes, looked puzzled for a moment longer then squealed out, "Pafoo!" In a twinking, he was in his god-fathers lap hugging him for all he was worth. "I missed you, Pafoo! Later can you let the doggy out again? I used to ride him… I think."

Remus smiled. "That you did, cub." Harry stared at the other man and cocked his head. Then, "Moo Moo!" and he was in the warewolf's lap and hugging the other man's neck.

James smiled sadly. "I had no idea he would remember you after this long." He was a little startled to feel his god-father's arms wrap around him.

"I'm just sorry my other self couldn't be there for you like this." James nodded and relaxed against his god-father.

"You both would have been if you could have. I know that."

"You bet, pup." The two older men caught each-others eye. Both Harrys would need lots of TLC, it seemed.

A few hours later, breakfast had been eaten, James was in bed catching up on lost sleep, and a big, black dog was romping around on the sand with a small little boy as another man kept a careful lookout on them both. Once he had realized who they were, Harry had been delighted to have his uncles back and been asking questions non-stop all through breakfast. The tiny kid had even scolded his Uncle James for not taking him too when he went to pick the two men up last night. James had responded that what they had talked about wasn't for little ears and that it was dangerous off the Island.

Harry had learned the non-baby talk versions but he kept slipping when he got excited.

Both Marauders were convinced that they were gonna end up with Pafoo and Moo Moo for nicknames.

To Padfoot's delight, the little boy had not yet grown heavy enough that he couldn't ride horsy with the dog animagus. Remus had even conjured up a small cowboy hat for the child to wear. He took several pictures as the two played on the sand. After they got done with that, Harry insisted on showing them how to play in the sand and two very amused men had helped the little boy make quite an impressive sandcastle. For lunch, they had a little picnic on the beach then after a short nap in the sun, Sirius went inside to try and rouse James while Remus helped Harry practice swimming lessons.

Amazingly enough, Sirius remembered James' warning not to startle him and chunked a pillow at him from the doorway. James blew the pillow into smithereens as he returned to the land of the living.

"Ah, soft confetti." Sirius had ducked just outside of the door when the pillow had blown up.

James looked around in confusion as he tried to remember the source of the voice. Finally, "Sirius?" The man in question poked his head back into the room. "It's almost two. If you don't stay awake for the rest of the day, you'll never get to sleep tonight."

James mock scowled. "I brought you here to help me with Harry, not because I needed mothering."

"Keep telling yourself that, pup." Sirius sat down beside the younger man and pulled him into a warm hug. "You missed us and wanted us with you. Do you always wake up like you're ready to scream or kill something or was it just me?"

James leaned into the embrace. "Nightmare."

"Ah." Nothing more needed to be said and that was comforting. Sirius rubbed the younger man's back for a few minutes more then with a final light squeeze, let him go. "I'm told they do fade with time."

"That's what the mind healer told me five years ago. I'm still waiting for it to happen."

"Yeah well, you didn't have Harry, Moony and me before. Don't worry pup, you'll be back to having wet dreams in no time."

"Padfoot!"

The rest of the afternoon was a slice of heaven for both Harrys. Padfoot and Moony had taken to the Pingu game like ducks to water, as expected. In the end Remus and James had finished up with a mini duel to see who could cover the last speck of clean skin on both of them. James won. After that, they went for a long walk in the forest and James introduced the two men to his neighbors. Dinner followed soon after followed by Harry's reading lesson with the two older Marauders proudly looking on. Both men were elated when James asked if they would like to read Harry his bedtime story and Remus ended up reading while Sirius ran a steady commentary. After story time, Harry was tucked into bed and given three goodnight kisses. With his Padfoot and Moony plushies tucked under each arm, the happy little boy slipped off into dreamland.

After they were sure that little Harry was asleep, the three Marauders turned to each other wondering what to do before their bedtimes.

Remus smirked at the pair of wizards in front of him. "I don't know about you, Padfoot, but I would love to see just how badly Thunder here could kick our collective arses. What do you say James, two on three, nothing that could permanently maim and certainly nothing that could kill."

James stared at the two eager looking men and shook his head in bemusement. "I could use a little target practice. You're on. I just hope you know what you are getting into."

"Never fear, Thunder. We can take care of ourselves."

James was quite sure those two wouldn't last a whole minute against him but refrained from commenting. "Follow me then." He lead them down to the training room and stopped at the door. "Dueling practice, two on one, guard against lethal curses, nothing permanent." James waited for a slight tingle that would tell him the job was done then opened the door. "Before you ask, it's like the room of requirement. I had made one for my trunk during the war and after Hogwarts was compromised. I still had my notes lying around so it wasn't that hard. I just had to sleep for two days straight afterwards."

Inside the room was a large dueling platform with one of the sides wider than the other to accommodate for two people. A large shield was around the platform and small zips of magic could be seen flying inside the shield.

James bit back a smirk at the Marauders flabbergasted expressions and motioned to the platform.

"Shall we gentlemen?"

Feeling that they had perhaps bitten off a bit more than they could chew, Moony and Padfoot stepped onto the platform as James confidently took his side.

"Wands out. Bow. Begin."

No one could say that James wasn't a fair dueler. He let both men cast two spells at him before his bludgeoning curse blew them both off their feet, threw the shields and into the cushioned wall.

"I win." James had a slight smirk on his face as he hopped off the platform and looked over and the bruised Marauders.

Sirius looked up at him and blinked. "How did you…"

"First of all, that shield Moony put up only protected against hexes. Second of all, it was quite simple for me to expand the magic of the charm to encompass the both of you and thin out the magic enough that you wouldn't have broken bones. Third of all, it is very, very stupid to duel with me. I do suggest you train yourselfs up though and will install a program into the room you can use. Do you want an image of me or Mad-eye for a trainer?"

"Mad-eye?"

"He's the one that gave me the majority of my training. Once I was above his level, I had no choice but to build a training room. He helped me with it until he was killed taking Avery, Crabble, and Goyle down."

"Considering that Mad-eye would chew us up and spit us out, I choose you."

"I should warn you that the image of me won't care who you are and what your relationship to the real me is. It's also what keeps me in shape."

"It can't be that bad, James. I'd pick you over Mad-eye any day!"

James laughed. "Now if _that_ wasn't a back-handed complement, I don't know what is!" He shook his head then nodded. "Ok then, I'll set you up. Come on outside the room with me." He led them outside the room and instructed both men to place their hands on the door.

"Special training session, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin. Image of Harry Potter trainer. Set level to grow with their competency. Start medium build up to hard. Include physical training and special training for Sirius Black to compensate for muscle atrophy." James tapped his wand against the door. "Session name: canine." He waited for the telltale rush of magic then opened the door.

"Try to get some sleep tonight. Don't blame me when you're a pile of aches in the morning."

"Oh pish posh. We'll be fine!"

James rolled his eyes and went to work on his potions, the muscle relaxant in particular. The night passed on in blissful silence for the two Harrys, both unaware or unsympathetic to the two men in immense pain down in the training room. James finished the muscle relaxant and put it on both men's bedside tables with a short note to take it before sleeping. There were, of course potions to heal muscle damage but that would do nothing but undo all the work the two men had done that night and returned both men to their previous physical states. He would allow them to sleep in come morning and would get them moving and stretching as soon as they woke up. Once everything was warmed up, they would be much better off.

With a satisfied sigh, James fell into bed and was asleep very soon after. The two older Marauders made it to be much later than he.

A gasping Moony and Padfoot could do little more than crawl out of the training room and up the stairs. Padfoot did discover the net charm put on the stairs but wouldn't realize the fun potential until later. The two men sent a deadly glare towards James' room upon reaching the top floor and with barely a grunt to each-other, retired to their own rooms. James had charmed the potions to glow so that they would be noticed and both men did have time to gulp the potion down before the sand man claimed them.

James and Harry had the morning to themselves. When the little boy asked where his new uncles were, James had explained that they had stayed up a little late the previous night and were sleeping it off. Then it was back to their regular schedule. James had been surprised at how much he had missed having the little boy to himself the day before and held the boy, perhaps a little more securely than usual, as little Harry plopped himself in his lap to eat breakfast.

For his part, the diminutive little boy was glad to have some alone time with the man he was quickly coming to think of as a father. Uncle Pafoo and Moo Moo were nice, but he liked Uncle James the bestest. Somehow, James seemed to understand him. In the time he had lived on the Island, his dear uncle had known how he was feeling before the boy had even thought about telling him. It had made it a lot easier to show his emotions. Without his uncle's empathy little Harry would have had a much harder time getting used to family life. The small boy hoped that he would keep getting alone time with his nice uncle James. In his eyes, the man could do no wrong. He was glad to have his other uncles back in his life but they were kind of loud. The doggie was fun though! He wondered if Uncle James could turn into anything fun.

"Well little one, it looks like it's just the two of us this morning. I know what I want to do this afternoon so does a nice walk and a swimming lesson sound ok?"

The little boy nodded vigorously and grinned adoringly up at his uncle.

"Uncle James?"

"Yes child?"

"I still love you best!" With that, little Harry turned around and gave his favorite person in the world a big hug. James smiled and hugged back. Life was very strange, he thought. After so long he finally had a person that was his and only his. A person that he could take care of and love. When he had taken in the miniature version of himself, he had truly been scared of messing too much with fate. What if the boy turned out to be a brat away from the abusive influence of his relatives? What if he was too broken to ever care for a child? What if because of the war, he was incapable of love? All these thoughts were racing through his mind as he held the tiny little body in his arms for the first time and took him away from all he had ever known. No one truly remembers what they were like as children. All we have as adults are muted memories and the word of other people around us. Certainly, no one had ever told Harry that he was good as a child. For all he knew, he may have been awful and deserved, at least at first, all the punishments the Dursleys heaped upon him. James could almost feel the last vestiges of the belief that he had been a child unworthy of love fall away as he had gotten to know the younger version of himself. He hated the Dursleys all the more now for he knew that he had been a sweet child, innocent and filled with love and those… monsters had squandered the gift they had been given and both Harrys were left stinging for it. The older version being hurt so badly that he found it difficult to fathom someone loving him. James now knew the reason he had not turned out like Tom Riddle. No one, scarred or not, that could love so easily could ever turn evil.

James buried his face in the messy mop of hair and whispered, "I love you too, little one." He felt the child smile into his shirt.

Harry would have a good relationship with all three of his uncles. But first and foremost, he would always be his Uncle James' boy.

As he led the little boy out to the ocean he couldn't help but think how much his life had changed. Two months ago he had been little more than a drunken mercenary, bent on revenge. He had found out after a few missions that he had actually killed a few innocent people. He had been given a false lead. He had killed the person that had told him an innocent was a former death eater then dove even more deeply into the drink. His only reason for living was hunting down the monsters that had made his life hell and to make them pay.

Now, his reason for living was holding his hand and smiling up at him trustingly. Two more reasons were sleeping off their hard night with his training image. He had warned them. And several more reasons were in England. Little Harry wasn't quite ready to meet the Weasleys he didn't think. But a nice, quiet friend like Hermione would do the boy a world of good. He had already made a few plans.

At the moment though, he had decided to throw Albus a bone, namely, another letter. When he thought back on it, he could understand why the old man was concerned. James had made no effort to prove his statements to the headmaster nor had he cared at the time. He realized that while the man had been aware of some of the things that had gone on at the Dursleys, he was not aware of the worst of the abuse. James had once had a long discussion with the headmaster's portrait and had come away feeling a lot better about his self-named grandfather figure. He would have the two older Marauders write a letter to the headmaster when they woke up. He motioned for little Harry to play in the sand for a while and sat down in his comfy beach chair.

_Dear Albus,_

_I have noticed that you do not seem to believe me when I say that Harry is safe and well-cared for. I am well aware that the Order of the Phoenix has been faithfully turning over every rock in England looking for Harry. He isn't in England for one thing so stop trying. I did want you to know that the child is almost back up to a normal weight for a child his age and his body has begun to grow like a weed trying to catch up to the height he should be at. I am very proud to have countered the stunted growth that Harry most certainly would have suffered from. Harry is flourishing and should only improve with time, especially now that he has his two favorite uncles with him again. _

_Albus, really, if I can convince Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to come live with Harry and I then I can't be too bad or putting him in too much danger can I? I wish for nothing more than to keep young Harry safe and happy as he is prepared for his destiny. Don't worry, I haven't told him yet and I assure you he will not get a big head because of it. You might say, due to my unique circumstances, that I will be a seer for a while. Thus said, I am well aware that Voldemort is not dead. Also, I will give you a boon. If you will look under the rug in Lucius Malfoys parlor you will find several items of interest particularly a blank diary from Tom Riddles time at Hogwarts. See that it isn't lost. Some people pour their souls into their writing, after all. Please ask Arthur Weasly to take care of this matter. It was I who knew about Pettigrew and where he was and sent Remus to go get him. _

_In closing, I know what I am doing and ask that you please trust me. If I can get some assurances and positive responses, I would be happy to meet with you and discuss the possibility of my teaching at Hogwarts during Harry's tenure. Harry is still under his mother's protection. Please trust me._

_Sincerely,_

_James Potter_

"And that is the last effort I am making until Harry is closer to Hogwarts age!" He listened to the small child's squeals of laughter as he picked the little boy up and threw him into the water. Yes, life was good. For right now, he would change a thing.

AN: I was pleased with this chapter. It was nice to get back to the cute.

Comments and concerns:

WOW! I'm stunned by all the reaction this story has been getting! I find the reveiws very kind and thank you for the constructive criticism. It helps me become a better writer.

Heather: We will just have to see won't we?

Since When: Thank you for reviewing every chapter. I apologize for the re-hash and hope this chapter pleased you.

Sparky: Thank you for reviwing every chapter. As for answers to your questions... see my responce to Heather.

kehlencrow: You are absolutely correct my friend. For instance, I'm working on writing a book. It's a true story horror and I'm the main character... yeah... sht happens.

Mee Yah: No fear of THAT happening I assure you! As for the girlfriend issue... at this point, I honestly have no clue. As for Dumbledore, I hope I explained his reasoning in this chapter. A stranger wrote him saying that he had Harry Potter, the boy Dumbledore knows is the child of the prophecy, I know Albus isn't a bad guy. Trust me, I'm working on the issue. :)

Denae: I'm glad someone asked that question. As for Snape and Draco, I am sticking to cannon through HBP. This means in Uncle James' reality, Snape did kill Dumbledore and Draco did let a bunch of rabbid death eaters in. He will have issues with both of them. However, that does not mean the two are beyond hope. See my answer to Heather for more details.

bored college student: Well, aren't you just a little bundle of sunshine? Two points, the first being this is a twenty seven year old Remus Lupin, not professor Lupin. He's only spent four years with books for friends, not twelve. As a teenager, we all pick-up silly little catch phrases that do last into our adulthood. It is entirely feasible that Remus picked that up when he was a teen, thought it was fun and will let it out to play when he is relaxed or amused. I am American and I use Brittish slang all the time. It's fun. Try it. Second point, I happen to _be_ from the South and if parts of my culture do make it into the story I aplolgize. I assure you, the only times I say "Ya'll" is when I am making fun of my less educated brethren. A thick hick accent makes me cringe. I will repeat what I said before. This Remus is a young man that just got his life back. Of course he is going to be happy, skippy, and playful.

Again, thanks to all my kind reviewers. This four (now five) chapter story has now broken my review record. Yay!

I have two fic recs for you tonight, First of all if you have not read **Aspen in the Sunlight**'s A year like none other please do so! This is not archived on but there is a link to her stories. You will need her skyhawlk archives.

The second fic I reccomend is DobbyElfLord's Altered Destinies. It is one of the best Harry goes back in time to kill tom as a baby but something screws it up fics I've seen in a while!

Sara out!


	6. Giving Myself Wings

Once again dear readers I refrain, from even thinking these characters are mine, oh the pain! lol They ain't my toys I just play with em.

Chapter Six: Giving Myself Wings

The swimming lesson went, well, swimmingly and it wasn't long after that the two miserable Marauders finally rose and James went to help them. He was very patient with them as he led them through painful but necessary stretches and endured their scathing comments without a sound.

"How could anything related to you be so… cruel? You were _worse_ than Moody could ever be!"

"Oh I don't ache this much after a transformation! I'm never going down in that basement of horror again!"

"You hurt? Imagine how I must feel! That thing seemed to take a special interest in causing me pain. He called me weak! I'm not weak!"

"Not that it's your fault, Padfoot, but you do need some way to build up muscle."

After a few more minutes of the whining, James had enough. "First of all, you aren't stopping the training. The first night is always the worst. Second of all, Padfoot you have been locked away in a 8x8 cell. Not much opportunity to exercise there. Moony, the most activity you have seen in four years has been your furry side trying to escape and chew itself to bits. You both need this. Last of all, I warned you. The program can't be changed. I'm sorry but I will continue to help you with the pain until your bodies get used to the exercise again. For instance." He cast a mild numbing charm on them. "That should be better now." His mouth twitched at their relieved looks. "I have something very special planned for young Harry today, something I knew you would want to see."

Both men looked curious.

"Flying lessons." James was highly amused as the still achy young men suddenly livened up.

"Well let's go then!"

"Not so fast. It's lunch time. I left Harry to set the table while I took care of you two. Get dressed and come downstairs. We're having grilled shrimp and scallops with fresh veggies on the side." He smiled. "It's so fun introducing Harry to new things and foods."

It wasn't long until all four males, the smaller of which was sitting in James' lap, were sitting around the table in satisfaction.

"James, my boy, that was great. You're an excellent chef!" The others nodded in agreement while James smiled and blushed a little.

After the rushed but tasty meal, they all trooped outside. Little Harry didn't know what they were gonna do or why his uncles were so excited.

James grinned from ear to ear at the child. He had so been looking forward to this. He pulled a neatly wrapped package out of his pocket and enlarged it.

"Happy late birthday, little one. I didn't want to give this to you until all your uncles were here to see it."

Harry was a mix of excitement, curiosity and a slight amount of dread as he opened up the package and took out a shiny new broom. If the child had not been sleeping in a room where one of his walls depicted a game played on broomsticks he would have thought his uncle was being cruel. Instead, he tried to mimic the picture on his wall and tried to straddle the broom like the men on the picture. The three older males bit back laughter at the small boy's cuteness and James stepped in to correct the child and show him how to properly mount a broom. To no ones surprise, the broom leaped into his hand as the child called "Up!". Once his grip had been corrected and a cushion charm had been cast on the ground below, the three men had mounted their brooms, James' being the futuristic Firebolt, and as one, they took off. At first, James wouldn't let the excited little boy go above a set height. Once he saw that even as a five year old, Harry Potter was a natural in the air, he let the child zip around the sky as much as he liked. Harry's childish whoops of delight echoed through the air as he zoomed around the beach and over the ocean. He laughed madly as he climbed higher and higher then dove down and barely skimmed the surface of the water with his toes as he evened out and flew back to shore.

Harry had never felt so… free. The elation thrumming through him was the best he had ever felt. He loved watching the ground loom closer then suddenly wave bye-bye as he zoomed skyward. He felt himself tingling with excitement from the top of his head down to the tips of his toes. This was where he belonged, in the sky, playing with his fellow creatures, the birds, teasing the poor animals still on the ground that would never get to experience flying. His excitement and elation was so great that he just had to let it out, and he did. He let out a delighted yell as he dove back towards the ground. Flying was… well, there wasn't a word for it! It was the bestest thing he had ever done by far. Little Harry was so confident on his broom that he invented a few new tricks. Eventually, he calmed down a bit and all of them had a race. James won and little Harry came in second. James applied a careful sticking charm to his charge so that he would stay on his broom and then the four had an aerial pingu fight. Several very surprised birds had flown into spells path. Thus, the world saw it's first hot pink Macaw and shocking blue humming bird, not to mention the pea green fruit bat flying around somewhere. Harry had loved it when he painted the birdies and James had to tell him that it wasn't nice and not to try to do it. James secretly wondered how long it would be until all the flying residents of the Island were some strange color. After the rousing game, James cleaned everyone off and let the three play on the beach while he cooked dinner.

After little Harry had gone to bed, he sent to whining Marauders down into the basement to train and this time, decided to train with them for a little while. While the Marauders were panting away at the "light" exercise they had been assigned, James was battling against his own image, dodging, rolling, jumping and leaping all the while with near-deadly spells being thrown at him and he throwing them back. By the time he exited the room, James had built up a "refreshingly light sweat" and cheerily waved a goodnight to the other two men.

Wheezing, Remus turned to Padfoot. "I'm suddenly… glad… he only… played with… us… last night." Sirius nodded in agreement, too tired to reply verbally.

"You two, less talking more running! Right now neither of you are in any fit shape to defend a spider against a fly! My dead great grandmother is probably stronger than you! Move it wimps!"

Once more, James provided a muscle relaxant to the two idiot Marauders before he turned in.

_Voldemort sneered down at the young wizard in front of him. "Well Harry, I'm sure you have been wondering why I brought you here."_

"_Somehow I doubt it was for tea and crumpets. Let me guess, you decided to try and kill me again but let your death eaters soften me up first so you would be sure of victory? Yes that will certainly assure you power and respect. Oh mighty heir of Slytherin who managed to kill a seventeen year old who was about half dead all ready! You…"_

_Voldemort had heard enough. "Crucio!" He listened with satisfaction to the young wizard scream as he twitched on the floor. He lifted the curse just as the Potter boy's ears started to bleed._

"_Actually, I invited you here today so that you could tell where exactly my precious trinkets are. I had quite the collection going until you stole them from me."_

_Harry glared up at the snake-man and sneered. "Not. Likely."_

"_I tire of this chit chat. I know you haven't been very… appreciative of my hospitality but I assure you, it can get much, much worse!" Voldemort forced Harry to look in his eyes. All either of them saw was a white void. Harry mentally thanked his lucky stars that the occumuency potion he had taken actually worked. It had been a pet project of Hermione's for quite some time. "I'm sorry, you have dialed an unlisted number. Please hang up and go jump off a cliff. Thank you." Harry adopted a nasal tone to his voice and made a pretty good impression of a telephone operator. _

_Voldemort growled in anger and threw Harry down to the ground. "You will show me the where the founders artifacts are!"_

"_Sorry Tom, that isn't gonna happen! Not even you can get inside my head now!"_

"_My name is Voldemort! I am lord Voldemort!"_

_Harry sneered. "I don't give a rat's arse, Tommy!"_

_Something deep inside Harry was telling the boy to calm down and shut up before he got into even worse trouble. Unfortunately, Harry wasn't listening and Voldemort was just about to blow his top._

"_You think I'm scared of you? You can't even manage to kill a baby! And your entire troop of 'elite' death eaters couldn't even manage to keep a bunch of fifth years and fourth years from running circles around them! Oh you'll make history alright, as a school yard bully! Why I bet Slytherin sat up in his grave and screamed when he found out his heir was just a half-blood!" Harry didn't even see the blow coming and before he knew it he was on the ground crumpled in a heap. _

"_Bellaxtrix! Mark him." _

_Hands grabbed him and pulled him over to a rough wooden table in the center of the room. His wrists and ankles were forced into leather bindings. Harry turned his head to the side and saw the woman at the fireplace, watching something. _

_His voice was shrill as he struggled. "What the hell did you mean by that? I'm not one of your mindless slaves!"_

_Voldemort's lips curled into a thin, cruel smile. "Oh don't insult me boy, as if I would grant you the honor of becoming a death eater. This is… more like the branding of cattle except, much more painful." _

_Harry's head snapped to the side just as Lestrange withdrew a long metal pole from the fire with a glowing hot dark mark at the end. He shuddered as she drew close but remained silent. He knew no matter what he did or said that it was going to happen anyway. _

_Voldemort smirked. "Make sure you hold him down securely, I would hate for his squirming to mess up the image." Harry could already feel the heat coming off the brand as he was grabbed and held down by several pairs of hands. Try as he might, Harry couldn't move an inch. He tried his best to fight down the panic that was slowly welling up inside him. She was standing over him, grinning and holding the brand directly over his chest. Harry took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut as she raised the brand high…_

James woke up with a choked scream as he felt something soft bounce off his chest. After coming to his senses and repairing the pillow he had obliterated, he heard a soft voice call to him.

"You ok Uncle James?"

His heart was still about to beat out of his chest and he ran his fingers over the remaining scar. He always kept a glamour charm over the mark. He shut his eyes and shuddered. The pain and the shock of the whole experience was what had finally let Voldemort into his mind. He had been livid.

He jumped just a little as warm little hands rubbed his back in a soothing manner that he had used on the child more than just a few times. The motion soothed him and he drew the small boy into a hug. Being marked, branded like that had really bothered him. During his recovery, Remus had been forced to tie him down to keep him from trying to scrape the mark off. For James, that mark was the symbol of his failure. Hermione's potion only worked as long as the drinker was concentrating on protecting their mind. He had failed.

He looked at the little boy in front of him, a child that had never known and hopefully never would know all the pain and suffering he had experienced. While he knew that some of his suffering was what had given him the resolve and bravery to endure and overcome his trials, his goals suddenly changed as he stared into the child's emerald green eyes, clones of his own. The world was just a bonus. His goal was to save this tiny little boy from becoming like he had, alone, loveless, and with his soul so tainted by the very evil he had been forced to encounter again and again that he had lived his life for the last few years a mere step from becoming that which he fought to destroy.

It is said, that as out situation gets further away from a nightmarish existence, that our mind wants to deal and move past what happened years before. The process had started weeks ago with him saving Harry from the miserable existence he knew the boy would have, it had all come to the fore-front of his mind when he had told the Marauders the whole story and now… James Eustace Potter, formerly known as Harry James Potter, cried for the first time in years. He clutched the child close to him and let out all his pain and grief for friends lost. His tears rapidly accelerated into sobs and then to full blown weeping. It was as it someone had taken a lance and speared the festering scar of hate and hurt that had been in his heart for almost his entire life, devouring it like a cancer. In his mind, every tear that leaked from his eyes was yet another bit of hurt that he had held back because it either wasn't the time to let it out or he hadn't wanted to feel weak. At that moment, he felt very weak, weeping in the dead of the night and using a child as an over-sized stuffed comfort toy. Ah yes, he was truly being a man at the moment.

Harry was a very smart child. He knew that his uncle had been through some bad things even if the man hadn't exactly told him. He also knew that crying did help you to feel better afterwards and so, with tears dripping down his cheeks at his uncle's pain, the little boy held on to James Potter and tried his very best to give the man support. It wasn't long before both Harry's had tired themselves out and were asleep again, this time, with someone there beside them.

The next morning was a little difficult for James. Sirius and Remus would be out of commission until lunch and he would have to put on a happy face for his, yes his, little boy. It wasn't easy keeping a energetic five year-old entertained though he imagined little Harry was much easier to please than most. He looked down at the little boy sleeping beside him and smiled a little. The four marauders were a strange family, to be sure, but they were that, especially him and Harry.

The owl came as they were finishing up breakfast. James had allowed the little boy's prattle to cheer him up a bit and was feeling a lot more cheerful. To his surprise, Fawlkes the Phoenix delivered the letter. Harry was fascinated by the "pretty bird" and was delighted when Fawlkes allowed the child to pet him. James couldn't help but smile and snap a photo of the moment. He was a little surprised when the large bird gave him a piercing stare seeming to look into his very soul then a loud squawk of surprise. James hadn't known a bird, especially one as extraordinary as this, could look flabbergasted until that moment. The bird looked from one Harry to the other then let out a very confuses warble. Laughing in the presence of such a regal bird probably wasn't one of the smartest things he had ever done but he just couldn't help it. He dissolved into great, deep belly laughs and soon had tears rolling down his cheeks from the mirth. He looked up and noticed both Fawlkes _and_ his young ward staring at him.

_You'll understand what is so funny in a few years, Harry._

It took James a while to sooth the phoenix's wounded pride but Harry Potter had always been well-liked by the headmaster's familiar and there were no bad feelings on the bird's part by the time it left. He only wished he could speak Phoenix so he could have communicated the reason why there were two Harry James Potters at the breakfast table. He made a mental note to tell the Marauders after Harry had gone to bed.

Once on the beach, James had a look at the Headmaster's letter.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_First of all, if you have gotten to read this letter I must congratulate you for you are at least trustworthy. Upon giving my familiar this letter, I will instruct him to have a close look at you and your intentions. If they are not pure and if he thinks you are not providing enough protection to the boy he is to take him from you. _

_However, if these words are being read, you have passed my test. I trust my familiar's judgment above all others and if Fawlkes thinks you are a proper care-giver for the child then I am satisfied. _

_I do apologize for not replying to your previous letter but as you surmised, I was in a bit of a panic upon realizing that young Harry was not where he was supposed to be. I admit I feared the worst, especially after doing a little homework and discovering that James Potter never had any siblings, magical or muggle. You realize the situation I have been place in I hope. By the very act of your reading this letter I can be sure that you are a trustworthy person, I am also not forgetting that you have managed to get the boy's uncles, shall we say, on your side and now have them with you. However, I have proof that you did lie to me and that you do, I suppose have some valid reason for hiding your name. I am also puzzled how you have managed to get possession of the Potter family headship. _

_I know a nice Muggle café just off Diagon Alley if you are interested in meeting with me. I plan to be there today and tomorrow, if for some reason you could not come on the day you receive this, for a leisurely luncheon. I would be delighted if you were to join me. I will not be disappointed if you neglect to bring young Harry along as the information we will be discussing is rather delicate for little ears. _

_I do thank you for your time and hope to see you soon. _

_Sincerely, _

_Albus Dumbledore_

_The only accomplishment I find noteworthy is my chocolate frog card._

_P.S. Thank you for the picture of young Harry. He is an adorable child._

James chuckled fondly. "That's Dumbledore, alright!" He was a little surprised that the headmaster had seen through his little ruse and was horrified that if the Phoenix had not found him worthy it would have taken Harry from him. It was a good thing he had never fallen quite far enough to use the unforgivables.

A little later in the day, an annoyed James Potter was in the bathroom… putting on make-up. He knew that the headmaster would be able to see through any glamour charms he threw up and he did not the man to be too surprised as he entered the restaurant so muggle make up was his only other option. He had already dyed his hair a light brown with his wand, this was more of a transfiguration than a glamour and was easily removable. He then used his paltry metimorph abilities to make his hair grow a few inches longer, long enough to pull it back into a neat tail at the nape of his neck. He dressed in one of his favorite muggle outfits, a deep gray trench with a black sweater with gray stripes underneath and black slacks. He slipped on a simple pair of muggle tinted glasses to hide the color of his eyes and he was ready.

Deciding to be a bit mean, he had waited till he was properly disguised before he woke the Marauders. First, he had cast a silencing charm on Moony's door while he entered Padfoot's room and stood over him breathing heavily with his wand just over the man's temple. The older Marauder's reaction had been amusing. His eyes had widened in surprise and fear and he had tried to bat James away with his hand as he dove for his wand lying on his dresser. James had grabbed the man's hand, leaned down next to the man's ear, and "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

James still had a few giggles bursting up inside him as he snuck into Moony's room. Unfortunately, Moony wasn't quite human and his enhanced hearing worked in his favor. James hadn't gotten half way across the room before the man suddenly leapt out of bed sending his covers flying and had his wand trained on the stranger by the time the sheets had fallen back down.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?"

James smiled, very pleased. "Congratulations, Moony, you're still alive. I'll tell my other self to let you off an hour early tonight."

Quickly, he told the other two what was going on and to please keep an eye on Harry. He didn't know exactly when he would be returning but figured it would be before nightfall.

Before he left, he gave little Harry a big hug and promised that he would bring a nice surprise home. The little boy looked a little reluctant to let his uncle go anywhere, especially with the "bad man" that left him at the Dursleys.

James knelt down and put his hands on the small shoulders. "Little one, Albus isn't a bad man. He's just a very old man that has forgotten what it's like to be a child. He put you at your Aunt's house because he thought it would be the safest place for you. He didn't mean any harm by doing it. That pretty bird you saw this morning was his, it's a very special bird that only bonds to the nicest people with the purest hearts. Albus is a very good man and he does care about you. He has been very worried about you for the last month."

"Well he shouldn't be. I'm with you and you would never hurt me."

James smiled and ruffled the messy little mop top. "Of course I wouldn't, but Albus doesn't know that. I'm going to tell him and I promise I'll be back soon with a nice surprise for you."

The little boy stared at him for the longest time then, "Promise?"

James solemnly held out his pinky.

The child looked impressed. "Wow, a pinky promise." They sealed the promise as tradition states then James pulled the child into another hug.

"I love you and I'll be back soon. Be good for your uncles ok"

Little Harry nodded and seemed to be trying to crush himself against the older man. James gently pulled back from the child and dropped a kiss to the child's forehead. He turned to the Marauders.

"I'd rather not find my house in ruins when I get back so… behave." He turned to the little boy. "Harry, I'm trusting you to watch these two. Make sure they behave." He almost got a giggle out of the boy. He stepped back and watched as Sirius placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and nodded to the group. With a wave and a wink. James Potter popped out of existence.

Remus and Sirius were left to deal with a crying child that couldn't stand to be away from his "Unca James".

AN: Ok guys... you have managed to shock me. So... many reviews! W.O.W. Seeing as there are a bit too many to name the issues and the reveiwer, I will just address the issues. Thank you for all your kind comments. This story has been the one good spot in an otherwise crappy week. I will be gone tonight and gone the next night also so it may be a few days before I can update again.

I will be speeding up the story very soon. I estimate that this story will be between 15 and seventeen chapters. I am debating combining this with the first year. Thoughts?

I have asked a beta reader to check my "Potter terms". The only comments I make in my ANs are questions that I think need to be answered in a public venue.

Very soon. And I will see what I can do. No promises if Snape will be introduced before first year.

James will certainly do his best to make sure that young Harry is still best friends with Ron and Hermione.

Thanks again to all my kind reviewers. I'm starting to look forward to the big 100 with great excitement.

Fic Rec... Rumor has is that the great teller of tales, Lori, will soon be adding another long awaited chapter to her masterpeice. I suggest you go refresh yourself with the story. If you have not read the story, go do so. It is quite possibly the best peice of HP fanfiction I have ever read. Go and visit her Yahoo site for a few more short stories in that Universe and for a cookie or two.

Sara out.


	7. Meetings of Myself

They are not my dollies. I just play with them.

Chapter Seven: Meetings of Myself

James Potter appeared in a small alley just off Charring Cross Road and quickly brought out a small mirror to make sure his makeup hadn't slipped. He adjusted his trench with a sigh then pocketed the mirror and his wand and walked onto the busy London street with a casual gait. He kept his hand close to his pocket at all times. He was more than capable of performing wandless magic but wanded spells were much more powerful. If, for some reason, the venerable old wizard decided to go against him, he would need all the power he could get.

Speaking of the devil, there he was, standing right outside a nice looking muggle café. James stepped close to him and gave the man a nod in greeting. "Albus."

Dumbledore looked up at the young man in front of him and smiled.

"Ah, you must be James. It's good to finally meet you."

"You also sir, and thank you for trusting me enough not to have your order here waiting for me."

"As I said, young man, if my dear familiar approves of you then I am more than positive that I will too. I must ask you though, the poor thing hasn't been quite the same since he returned. He's not under any spell he just seems a bit… shell shocked. Can you tell me why?"

James laughed. "Why I certainly can, headmaster. Your Phoenix was able to tell exactly who I was. He just couldn't figure out the logistics of it."

Albus twinkled at him. "I see. And exactly who are you, Mr. Potter. Is it possible that James Potter never truly died?"

James shook his head. "I'm afraid not. James Potter, father to Harry Potter is quite dead."

Albus nodded thoughtfully and tugged at his beard. "Well then, you have me intrigued, who are you."

James smiled at his old mentor. "I think it will be a lot more fun if I let you figure that out on your own. Let's start on our meal and I will happily answer any yes or no questions you think of. If you ask the correct questions, you will be able to figure out my identity in under six questions I am sure."

Albus chuckled. "A game then? Very well young man, I accept."

After their orders had been taken, soup and sandwiches for both of them, the questions started.

"Are you truly related to James Potter?"

"Yes."

"Have you taken possession of the blood protection that Harry was being guarded under?"

"Yes, and I have strengthened it."

Albus blinked at that little tidbit then continued. "Are you a cousin to James Potter?"

"No."

Albus was beginning to look puzzled.

"Are you related by marriage?"

"No."

"Are you a nephew of James Potter?"

"No."

"Are you truly his brother?"

"No."

"Then how in Merlin's name are you related?"

"I just am."

Albus sat back in time for a moment and thought. "Well, you shocked Fawlkes and that isn't an easy thing to do. Wait… Are you currently wearing a disguise?"

"Yes."

"It isn't possible… but… Have you ever used time travel?"

James grinned. "Oh yes."

"You couldn't be… Harry Potter?"

James laughed and removed his sunglasses. "Now do you know how I shocked Fawlkes?"

For a moment, the old man rocked back in his chair as if he was going to fall. Then he thumped back into position and simply stared at the younger man in something akin to awe.

James was simply delighted. "Finally! I've shocked Albus Dumbledore into silence!"

Albus did not get over his shock until their luncheon had arrived. He quickly withdrew his wand and started to cast a silencing charm around the table before James raised a hand to stop him.

"I've got a better one. _Muffelato"._ Immediately their conversation became secret. "Now all anyone will hear is a rousing conversation about the weather. Please remember, sir, that I can't tell you everything, if for no other reason than the future I know will probably be very different than this time-line's future. Oh, and don't worry, simply by coming here I created an alternate dimension so there will be no paradoxes."

"Well, that's good to know. I have already assigned Arthur to the task you mentioned. I'm curious though, the way you described the diary was rather cryptic. Am I reading something extra into your words or have suspicions been correct for these many years?"

James frowned. "They've been dead on, Albus. Voldemort currently has five horocruxes and will try to create a new one as soon as he has regained bodily form."

The older man paled. "Five… what on earth was he thinking."

"He was thinking that he would be immortal and thus never be doomed to the fate the souls who use horocruxes are."

"I pity him."

"Funny, I think he got exactly what he deserved. I just wish I could have seen what I left him as, a whisp, so intangible as to never be noticed, without enough power to even become a ghost, unable to move on without the other pieces of his soul and unable to find those other pieces which have become whisps themselves. He is in constant pain but he can never just not exist. He's in constant torment, can never sleep and it's an eternal torment. Nothing can touch him now. Even when the sun dies out a hundred million years or so from now this whisps of Tom Riddle will still exist, wandering the cold of outer space blindly." He sat back. "Finding out what happens to the soul of someone who separates his soul made me believe in hell."

Dumbledore looked at the young man closely. "You've grown into a hard man."

"I've had to be. We won, but the price was far too high."

"So you came back to change it all and risk Voldemort winning this time?"

"Of course not. I was hunting down his remaining death eaters and found that the fools were building a portal, yes I know it's horribly dark magic, almost as bad as making a horocrux. They were planning on going back and killing my five year old self. I got shoved at the wrong moment as I was trying to collapse the portal and here I am."

"Ah, well it's good to know that you didn't grow up to be selfish my boy."

"Albus, you were my mentor and I admire you greatly but you made an error in sending me to the Dursleys. I had no self esteem, I was treated little better than a Malfoy house elf and the abuse just got worse as I aged. And yes, before you ask, I know what the house elfs of the Malfoy family are treated like."

"In that case, I owe you an apology. I had hoped that your aunt could learn to care for an infant. My mistake cost you the childhood you should have had."

"It wasn't only that, Albus, my growth was stunted also, developmental and magical. I had to perform a gray ritual in order to get enough power to defeat the giant snake. I'm not blaming you because I know you and I know that you just had the greater good in mind. I'm telling you this so that no matter what happens, you will not put that child with the Dursleys every again."

Albus bowed his head. "I understand and would never do such a thing."

"Good. Now, if you wish, we can play a game of questions and answers or I can just give you my history like I did for Sirius and Remus."

It was dinner time back at the Island before James returned home. Little Harry had been cranky all afternoon and had outright refused to do his math lesson. His attention had been on the windows all day. Naptime had probably been the worst. Harry had plenty of windows in his room but none were by his bed. Sirius had insisted that the small boy take his nap and had stuck him to the bed, partially as punishment for refusing his math lesson, until nap-time was over. Harry had cried himself to sleep and after nap time had been eerily quiet, sticking to Moony like glue.

When James popped back into existence he had a glimpse of a somber setting, a red eyed pouting little boy sitting beside a tired looking man with brown hair and an angry looking man with black hair sullenly eating his food.

"Unca James!" James had just enough time to put down his packages before he was tackled by his little ward. "You came back! ""You really came back!"

James immediately picked the child up and carried him over to the table where he settled the little boy in his lap. "Of course I did, little one. I promised didn't I?"

Harry nodded and clung to him, little tears falling down his cheeks. "Yeah but you were gone so long! I was afraid that…" The child stopped speaking and buried his face in his uncle's chest.

James cuddled the little boy to him. "I know; you were afraid that I was going to leave you. I'm not. Wild dragons couldn't drag me away from you. You know that, little one." He gently held the little boy while he cried. James had been afraid the child would suffer through separation anxiety but he hadn't thought it would be this bad. Once the little boy had calmed down, he held the child in his lap as the family ate then after dinner, he led his other self over to the packages on the floor.

"Harry, I want you to learn how to take care of a pet. When you are nine, I will be giving you a very special pet that will protect you as much as you protect it, however, you need to learn a bit of responsibility before I can trust you with it. I also think that you will like this little guy. He's very agreeable and is a lot of fun."

Harry, while looking excited, was still rather clingy towards his uncle and was holding onto his hand as the older man spoke.

James smiled gently down at his little charge and handed the child a brightly colored package with holes punched in the box.

The child blinked at his first wrapped present and watching his uncles very closely for signs of disapproval, carefully took the paper off and folded it neatly. Then he opened the top of the box and peered inside. It was a reddish brown ball of fluff. Looking confused, Harry took the fluff out and jumped when the little creature started making a nice humming sound. "Oh!" The child felt into the fur until he could feel a small body beneath and giggled as a soft pink tongue licked his hand.

James smiled. "It's called a puffskin, I think you can see why. They are very easy to care for and are pretty fun pets. They will eat just about anything you give them that is eatable and are tougher than they look. You need to be a bit gentle with them though and I think you can teach them a few tricks. Puffskins are really sweet animals and it will be your job to take care of it. First, you need to pick a name for it."

Harry grinned and hugged his favorite uncle. "I know just the thing, Fluffy!" Three very confused males watched as James suddenly collapsed to the floor in fits of laughter.

Remus smiled and ruffled the child's hair. "That does fit rather well, doesn't it?"

That night James had two extra occupants in his bed, Harry and the purring puffskin. Neither one had any nightmares.

Over the next few weeks, James worked very hard trying to get the little boy to not be quite so dependant on him and to trust the older man when he went somewhere to come back. This caused many short trips to various places. At first, the experience was very hard for the young child but eventually, he got used to it and looked forward to the surprise his favorite uncle was sure to bring back home. To a muggle, little Harry would look quite strange now. He was forever romping on the beach and in the woods with his two uncles, a huge black dog a brown ball of fluff on his head and a little snake bracelet around his thin wrist. He was a healthy looking little boy, if a little short, of five. His face and eyes fairly glowed with the vigor and health of youth. He had become almost as good as his uncle James had been during his Hogwarts days on a broom and was getting even better thanks to more inventive Pingu moves. The game was almost a daily occurrence. The child was progressing nicely with his reading lessons and a bit more slowly with his math lessons. James was even beginning to teach the child how to write.

Due to the many, many dark and illegal objects found in the Malfoy mansion, the family had spent a good chunk of their money trying to keep Lucius out of Azkaban and had sold one of their house elfs, Dobby to make the costly bribe the Minister had demanded. James had heard of this on one of his outings and was in the process of buying the little creature. During the last few years of Harry's life back in his original time, Dobby had been his only friend and dedicated house elf. James owed the house elf more than he could say.

On little Harry's month and-a-half anniversary of living on the Island, James had something very special planned, the child's first real trip into London. He had been keeping up with current events and had been delighted to see there was a large book fair being held near to the Granger family. If James knew his bush haired best friend as well as he thought he did, big or small, she would not let any opportunity to get new books go by and would literally drag her parents if she had to. If things went how he hoped they would, his young charge would soon have a friend, the best one he had ever had.

An excited little boy sat at the breakfast table swinging his legs back and forth as he shoveled food into his mouth, occasionally passing little bits to the ball of fur sitting on his shoulder. Mr. T. was safely upstairs in his terrarium as most Muggles wouldn't take well to a small child with a poisonous snake around his wrist.

"I haven't been to London in forever!" Little Harry grinned up at his uncle beside him. The two older Marauders were sleeping in, as usual. The training was paying off though. Sirius was well on his way to being the healthy strong young man he had been before the Potters died and Remus had never looked better. His first full moon on the Island had been a huge success. For the first time in over four years Padfoot and Moony had roamed the moonlit forests together. They had taken a little time and mourned for their departed member then romped through the woods together until sunrise. Lupin was a picture of health and was well on his way to being the second most dangerous being on the Island, full moon or not. The man still retained quite a bit of the bookish personality he had known as Harry Potter but Sirius seemed to balance all that out with a good bit of fun, never mind the good the black haired ball of energy did for them.

To them, Harry was truly a godsend. While James remained his favorite, he had bonded deeply to the two older men and was very close to them both. Harry no longer minded being left alone with any of them content to play and learn with whoever was with him and trusting that the others would return. For this day, the two men had a long awaited meeting with the head of the Order of the Phoenix, later in the afternoon, of course.

James grinned at his tiny, well tanned counterpart. "I thought you might like to see it again." The happy little boy nodded.

"I never got to see anything really fun. Aunt Petunia only took me with her when she went shopping for Dudley." If there was one thing both Harrys hated, it was any mention of the Dursleys.

James gently tipped up the boy's downcast chin. "Well, this time we are going into London for you and only for you. It's a big world, little one and I intend for you to see all of it."

The tiny child looked up at his uncle a little confused. "Umm what do you mean?"

"I mean every once-in-a-while we are going to take fun trips. Twice a year we will pick a place and go there. Even when you are in Hogwarts you will miss a week of school to go on a trip I'm thinking early spring and fall would be the best times. In fact, in just a week or two we will be going on our first trip. This time I get to pick and no, I won't tell you where. It's a surprise." He smiled as Harry cutely mock-pouted.

"I don't even get a little hint?"

"Nope."

"Please, Uncle James?"

James smiled and ruffled the child's hair. "Not even a crumb of a hint. I'm not about to spoil the surprise."

Knowing he was beat, for now, the little boy changed the subject and they were soon off to London.

Harry gaped up at the tall buildings. "I didn't remember it being this big!"

James smiled and squeezed little Harry's hand. "Well, I hope you're ready for a mini tour. I'll bring you back some other time for the grand tour."

The two men wandered around London for several hours. James didn't need to worry about waiting around for Hermione to show up. He had already set up an alarm ward that would tell him if anyone magical entered the bookshop. James was in the middle of telling the child about the Tower of London as they viewed it from a few miles away when he felt the ringing in his bones. He quickly finished up his story then popped them both to a different part of London.

"I thought we might grab some lunch and I heard there was a good place around here."

Harry tugged his Uncle's hand. "It's really early still, uncle James."

James glanced at his watch and pretended to be surprised. "Why so it is!" He looked across the street at the book fair. "What do you say we kill some time over at that book fair? You've read most of the books I got you for beginners anyway. I'll let you pick out some books." The child nodded agreeably and allowed his uncle to lead him to the shop. James led the boy around looking for the children's section till he spotted her. A small child with wild curly hair was excitedly looking through some books in the first-second grade section. James recognized the look in her eye from the many, many hours he had spent with her in the library. Sadly, there were no other children in that section though there were a few annoyed looking parents.

James gently pushed his young charge over towards the books and his former and hopefully, future best friend. He stayed just within sight of the child as he wandered over a little to the grown-up books and pretended to be eyeing the section of self-help books. He watched as his younger self trotted over near the bushy haired girl and gave her a shy smile. The girl looked up at the strange boy and tentatively smiled back. "What type of book are you looking for?"

Little Harry blinked at her a little surprised to hear a child's voice other than his own for the first time in over a month. "Umm I'm not sure. My uncle James is teaching me how to read. He picked out my last set of books. He says I get to choose this time."

"Do you like to read?"

The little boy nodded. "Yeah it's fun. I like it better when he reads to me though. He's reading me the Chronicles of Narnia. We are part way through the second book."

Now Hermione smiled, happy to have a companion that didn't mind reading. "My mummy read that to me recently. It's a good story. So you live with you uncle? Where's your Mummy and Daddy?"

Harry looked a little sad. "A bad man killed them." He noticed the little girl looked guilty for asking. "But it's ok now. Uncle James took me away from the bad Dursleys and he takes great care of me now. I get to eat as much as I want to and we play great games."

Hermione looked vaguely horrified but already had enough sense to know that talking of the "bad Dursleys" would be a bad idea. "Do you live alone with your uncle?"

"Oh no I live with my uncle Sirius and Remus too. They're a lot of fun and I love them all to bits! We live on an Island. Uncle James can come here as quick as he wants though so we came here for a tour of London."

"Where do you live?"

"Uncle James called it Oceana. I like it there. I play on the beach a lot and I'm a really good swimmer now."

When the little boy had mentioned an Island, Hermione had been sure he was lying but as she looked at him, he did have a rather deep tan, far too deep to have been in England.

"We live pretty close by to here. Mummy and Daddy are dentists. They're over there in the health section." She pointed to a nice looking couple bent over a book.

"Uncle James used to catch bad men but he stopped so he could take care of me. That's him over there."

"He looks just like you!" Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Mummy taught me better manners than this! I'm so sorry I forgot!" She stuck out her hand to the confused little boy. "My name's Hermione Granger and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Harry gave a soft little "Oh!" then placed his hand in hers. "I'm Harry Potter and it's nice to meet you too." They shook hands. Hermione smiled.

"You're nice, not like the mean kids in my kindi."

Harry shyly smiled back. "You too. I never went to school before but the only other people my age were a little bossy. My cousin was just plain mean."

"So how old are you? I'm five."

"Me too, five and almost two months."

His new friend looked a little surprised. Harry looked healthy enough but his growth had not yet caught up to his age and he looked closer to three or four than five. Hermione stood almost a full head and shoulders above her little green eyed friend.

Together, the two picked out a book for themselves and delighted that their respective charges had made a friend, if for different reasons, the Grangers and James quickly gave into both children's puppy dog looks and decided to eat lunch together. Already, the Grangers had been growing concerned about their little girl's lack of friends. They were a bit disappointed when they learned that the little boy lived far away but were somewhat mollified when they heard that the two would be in London "often" for business and visits. Deciding to make the most of the day, the two families decided to let the children visit a play park after lunch and they watched in amusement as two heads of messy hair flew about the park.

Having already decided to let the Grangers in about magic before they left that day, James decided to force a little accidental magic from Hermione. The two children were on the swings, talking and laughing and each trying to outdo the other when it came to how high they could swing. James waited until the girl was at the top of her arch before he made the swing chains temporarily intangible and quickly charmed the ground underneath her to about the softness of an exercise mat. He didn't want her hurt. As he had hoped, the girl did display some magic. She stopped two feet off the ground and hung there suspended in air. James had to cast some quick notice-me-not charms on the child before her cries attracted unwanted muggle attention. As the three adults, two bewildered and frightened and one elated, approached the girl, James charmed the ground back to it's original hardness.

Helen Granger got there the fastest and had her little girl safe in her arms before the two men arrived.

Little Harry had been concerned and scared when he saw his new friend fly off the swing set but now peered at her with a knowing smile. The little child was the first to explain what had happened to the little girl. He waited until things had calmed down a bit and they were starting to ask what in the world had just happened. With a tiny grin and an excited spark in his vivid green eyes he hopped over to the girl and clapped his hands.

"You gots magic Hermyne! You gots magic just like I do!" With that, the little boy drew out his wand and softly cast Lumos.

James wanted to laugh at the expression on all three Grangers faces. He wouldn't be a bit surprised if one fainted. Oh, there went Ms. Granger now. He smiled and laid a hand on his excited charges shoulder.

"Perhaps we should go somewhere a bit more private for this conversation."

AN: First of all, WOW again. I am almost at a full 100 reveiws! You guys are great! _sniff_ Really, I love getting reviews and read every single one I recieve. Thank you for your kindness.

Things are starting to speed up. I was happy to get to Hermione in this chapter. I hope I managed to show that she was a child, just a really smart one. lol I will be combining this story with little Harry's first year. I'm not sure how many chapters his pre-Hogwarts years will be. I know we are more than half-way there though. Very soon I will start skipping around and focus on different moments in young Harry's life.

While Harry may have enjoyed killing the death eaters a little too much, he never tortured them. He just wanted them dead.

Transfiguration can't be seen through like a glamour can. That's why he transfigured his hair.

Again, thank you for your kind reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Fic Rec: Harry Potter and the Nightmares of Futures Past by S'TarKan is one of the best fics I have ever read. I just hope it is updated soon. This fic is probably where I got most of my inspiration. He dosen't exactly go back and raise himself he just... tries to change things.

Sara out.


	8. Explanations and Friendships with Myself

These are JK's dollies. I just snitch them, hug them, squeeze them and call them George and slip them back into the toybox.

Chapter Eight: Explanations and Friendships with Myself

For the many years that Harry had known his bushy-haired best friend, he had never been inside her house. Her parents had been killed in a muggle raid the summer after sixth year and it had taken serious efforts on his and Ron's part to keep the young woman from despair. That summer, Molly had become a mother to all three members of the trio.

James looked around the house in appreciation as he fought down a grin. So this was where Hermione got her obsession with books. Every available surface in the house had a book lying on it and James could glimpse the entryway to an impressive looking library in the next room over.

Dan Granger was carefully lying his wife down on the parlor sofa as his daughter looked on in concern. The man called James Potter had vowed to explain everything provided they go someplace where they couldn't be heard. James gently edged in near his wife and pulled a stick out of… somewhere. He waved it over his wife a few times. "Ennervate." To Dan's surprise, Helen's eyes fluttered open and she sat up with a start.

"Wha? Where?" She looked up at James. "What happened?"

James backed away from the sofa and allowed Mr. Granger to help his wife into a sitting position.

"Mr. and Ms. Granger, I apologize for any confusion you may feel and promise that I will explain everything as well as I can. The truth is, magic is quite real and there is a whole other world going on just beyond your realm of perception. Your daughter will be a part of that world in a few years from now. When she turns eleven she will go off to a school to learn how to control and use her powers. I'm quite sure that she will be a powerful witch. What you saw in the park was a display of accidental magic. It's something all magical children do while they are growing up. If they get extremely angry or if they are in danger the accidental magic will happen. As she gets older, she will be able to control this, with tutelage, of course."

Dan Granger lifted his hand to stop James. "Wait, this is all very well and good but all we have seen are parlor tricks. I want to see something that can't possibly be done by a magician on the telly."

James smiled. "Very well." With that, he transfigured the coffee table into a pig, gave it wings and made it do aerial dives about the room. At the same time, he enchanted the pig to cycle through a number of strange patterns and to be singing "God Save the Queen" in an operatic voice.

Harry clapped and giggled at the display, Hermione looked like she couldn't figure out whether to laugh or scream and both the Granger adults just looked stunned.

Finally, Mr. Granger spoke up in a strained voice. "Alright, we believe you. Please make the pig our coffee table again?"

With a small bang and a flash the pig was once more a coffee table standing peacefully on the floor as if it had never even dreamed of flying around the air as a multi-patterned pig and singing. "Better?"

Mr. Granger looked relieved. "Much. So magic is real. You convinced us. Why are you telling us about it now? I know we would find out in a few years anyway but why are you letting us in on the secret so early?"

"The answer to that is quite simple. Harry here, has been through some rough times. A mad man killed his parents and he was sent to live with relatives that treated him no better than they treated the dirt under their feet. He had no friends, he wasn't allowed, and for the lad to find not only a friend here but a magical one is quite astounding. The odds are quite small. I wish for these two to continue their friendship but, seeing as we live on a rather far away island, this would prove impossible unless I revealed the existence of magic. I also wish to offer to include your daughter in a bit of magical training before she goes off to Hogwarts. I can easily get a wand for her." He laid a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I rescued Harry almost two month ago. Since then, he has bee living with me and two close friends of his parents. I think a friend like your daughter would be good for him. She seems like a nice, quiet, smart and sensible girl. Right now, Harry doesn't need a loud friend that would take over and overshadow him. He's had enough of that." He looked down at Harry. "Little one, I want you and your friend here to go upstairs. I'm sure Hermione wouldn't mind showing you her room."

Harry looked up rebelliously. "But I wanna hear!"

James shook his head. "Child, you are five years old. Eventually you will know much, much more than what I am about to tell the Grangers but you are _not_ ready for anymore than I have told you right now. I swear on my magic than I will tell you everything before you go to Hogwarts but for now, obey me."

The look Harry gave his uncle was still a little rebellious but he finally nodded and followed his new friend upstairs.

James cast a charm that would allow no sound to carry outside the small circle of furniture in the parlor. "Continuing on, what Harry need right now is someone to encourage him. He's a very special little boy, even for a wizard. The reason his parents were murdered was that Voldemort, a dark wizard, was trying to get to Harry. I'm not precisely sure of the details, but I am quite sure that wizard isn't as gone as some would like to think and that Harry is going to have a hand in taking him down. There are wards surrounding my house that would take the strongest magic user on the planet three days to get through. I would be more than happy to put up similar wards here."

Dan spoke up. "Wait. How do you know all this? How do you know the reasons behind the boy's parents being killed? How could you know what the Volde fellow was thinking?"

"That's easy, sir. I am a seer. I know something of the future of this world and right now, it scares me. Fate can be changed though and I am going to do all I can to spit in her eye."

"If we let our little girl get involved in this, how do you know she won't be killed?"

"Right now, she is a small child and isn't likely to draw undue attention until she reaches Hogwarts. By the time she reaches that age, I can have her very well adapted to magic and it's uses. I can tutor her in all forms of self defense. She will be so powerful that she will blindside anyone that would attempt to harm her. She will actually be in much more danger if you don't allow me to help her. The magical world, sadly, is just as prejudice as the non-magical. Our prejudice is against blood instead of color. Your daughter is what is known as a Muggle-born witch, muggle being the term we use to describe non-magic users. She is smart and will pick up spells easily. I guarantee you, she would be a target by the second week of her first year."

Helen spoke up this time. "What if we just didn't let her go? She's our child and we have authority over her."

"It's not advisable. There have been very few cases of wizards and witches that received no type of magical education and survived very late into their adult years. Think about it, especially with all the dangerous things you people use there is no non-magic device that is impervious to magic. This means that electricity, nuclear power, stone, wood, water and every other thing that you can think of is vulnerable to her powers. Hogwarts will teach her how to control these powers. Once she reaches her magical majority her powers will grow exponentially and she will quickly become a walking bomb. If anything upset her or endangered her… My best example only happened a few years ago. Were you aware that the disaster in Chernobyl occurred because of an angry muggle-born? His parents had been scared to death by the idea of magic and had sent him off to the other side of the world until they were sure it was safe. His magic was uncontrolled and very volatile. He had ended up working in the Soviet Union in a nuclear plant. His parents were dead and all he had was his job. His girl-friend had walked out on him along with most of his possessions the previous night. He was already angry. His boss fired him that day; five minutes later, boom." James watched the shocked expressions on the Grangers faces. "The Russian ministry had a time covering up the explosion to look like it could have happened by a simple overheating. That is, of course, the most dangerous example I could have given but I'm sure you get the point. Magic isn't just a phase she will be going through it's part of her. You can either accept this and live a happy life with your special little girl or you can deny her heritage and eventually have it blow up in your face."

"W-will she die?"

"If I'm not allowed to change things, yes. She will. I'm the first seer in a long time to have saw something so horrific that I won't allow my vision to come true."

Mrs. Granger looked at the young man and asked, "How do you do it? You seemed so happy when we first met you."

"I just have to remember that those events haven't happened yet and won't if I do things correctly."

Little Harry was not happy. He sat on his new friend's bed and watched as Hermione got together the materials together to play "house". Namely, she had raided her parents room and returned with one of her mother's old dresses and a suit her father had outgrown for Harry.

"I'll be the Mummy, you be the Daddy and dollie here will be baby."

Harry frowned but complied. "Next time we play something I pick ok?"

Hermione nodded. "It's only fair. Now come over here and eat your breakfast. You have to be at work in a few minutes. I do too but I'm the Mummy and everyone knows Daddy's can't cook."

"Uncle James is a great cook!"

"But he's not a Daddy is he?"

"Well, no."

"See? Daddy's can't cook!"

Harry found himself unable to counter this stunning piece of logic.

By the time James went upstairs to collect the children, he had worked everything out with the Grangers. Seeing as Hermione had already learned everything kindi care had to offer, which wasn't much, she was to start spending the days at the Island starting next week. Weekends her parents would have her until she started real school and after that, James would have her until six o' clock in the afternoons after school. During the summers, Hermione would spend her days on the Island while her parents were at work and the evenings with her parents. James had already made a portkey for her.

When he nudged open the little girls door he did not expect what he found.

"Harry dear, Mummy's tired. Could you please put baby to sleep for me?"

Harry was in the middle of changing the dolls diaper when he finally looked up to see what the strange chuffing sound was. Never had James seen a five year old look so embarrassed. James just about expired from laughter.

A little later, after dinner, James stood by as little Harry quietly said goodbye to his new friend, until Monday at least. They had decided to officially schedule the trip for late August, always two weeks from September first.

They returned home with a whirl of magic and James watched as the happy little boy bounded over to his older uncles to prattle on about his day. James mentally reviewed his check-list for Harry's upbringing and put a big red check next to Hermione. The day in London had gone far better than he had hoped and the Grangers were not one bit disappointed to have free child-care for their daughter. All in all, not a bad day's worth of work.

_Harry looked up in abject horror as he watched black forms materialize into existence. They weren't ready yet! Destroying a horocrux was a very draining piece of magic. It took all three of them to do the spell and even then they had to have a few people watching just to make sure they didn't die from the magical drain. Quickly, and with a black pit of dread in his heart, the boy transfigured the founder's items into galleons and shoved them in his pocket. Ron and Hermione were already fighting like mad animals. _

_It had been useless all along. The death eaters had worn down their shields with lethal spells then had went in for the kill. Literally, in Ron's case. Already cut and bruised, the young man was determined to give his best friends a fighting chance. With a shout and a curse he took a little ball out of his pocket and threw it at a death eather's feet. "Only use in emergencies." the twins had told him. Well, this qualified. For a moment, Harry had grinned in triumph as the little ball exploded and three death eaters disappeared into a bottomless pit, never to be seen again. Unfortunately, all it did to the rest of the dark lord's followers was make them mad. _

_It had been the most pain Harry had ever been in, up to that point at least. Once the evil ones had the three teens under their control, they forced two of them to watch while the other was tortured. Ron got it the worst. Harry screamed his throat raw as he watched the sanity leave his best friend's face. Beside him, Hermione had been reduced to weeps and whimpers. Once the death eaters had found their red-headed "toy" wasn't quite so fun anymore, they AKed him on the spot and dragged the two injured and in shock teens to meet their fate._

James was getting used to being pulled from his nightmares by a soft voice and a shredded teddy. He was also getting used to having that small, warm body snuggle up to him as he tried to get back to sleep. It was just one of the many things he loved that little boy for. He held the tiny body close, the evidence that this time, things just might turn out alright in the end, and quickly drifted back to sleep.

The next few days flew fast for the residents of the island and before they knew it, it was time for Hermione to join them. James still couldn't believe his luck in getting her during the days while her parents were at work.

On Monday, Hermione popped into existence just after lunchtime having just eaten breakfast. James knew quite well that it would take some time for the child to get used to the vast time difference even with the slight time dilation James had worked into the portkey. As expected, Harry was very happy to see her.

"Hermyne! You're here! You're here!"

Seeing as it was their first day together, James took it easy on the children and allowed Harry to drag her around the island and introduce his pets to her. James was quite sure that the girl would be asking for her own puffskin soon. James did introduce the child to Pingu and once she realized that the paint could be cleaned up with a wave of the wand, loved the game and wasn't bad at it either when they played on the ground. She was hopeless on a broom but James was sure that would improve with careful tutelage. Shortly before supper, lunch for Hermione, James sat the children down for a math and english lesson. He was pleased, the bushy haired little girl wasn't too terribly far ahead of his younger self. That day James found another reason for keeping the children together, competition. Both little ones had a thirst to succeed and the two kids were fiercely competitive with each other during games and sports. Neither child had hard feelings though so James thought it was ok.

Harry and Hermione were becoming fast friends, even if little Harry still couldn't pronounce the girl's name correctly. He was trying though and he was already better at it than Victor had ever been. Still, he was relatively sure that the child would end up with a nick-name.

Hermione loved her new tutors, even if the school was a little strange. Her one classmate was one of the sweetest little boys she had ever met. Last night, her parents had sat her down and explained a little about Harry. How could anyone treat such a nice person in such a way? She had a mind to call those monsters and give them a piece of her mind! From what she had heard, even the orphanage where her Mummy and Daddy went to play Santa's helpers was better than the Dursleys. She just couldn't understand why some people were so nice while others were so mean. It just didn't make any sense. She had an undeniable desire to understand everything about the world around her. She was beginning to understand a little about the world she lived in. She knew why the sky was blue, because of the little pieces that the sky was made up of would turn blue when they were hit by the light of the sun, She was constantly learning more. This new mystery though, she was sure she could spend the rest of her life trying to solve it and she would have only scratched the surface. People were so confusing!

The first week of "schooling" went well. Hermione, as expected proved to be a quick study with spell work and it didn't take James long at all before she had learned the whole of Harry's small lexicon. Of course the levitation spell had been included, along with lumos, point me, and the recent addition of stupefy James felt that little Harry was safe enough to go on a little trip. A disappointed little girl was sent to stay with her grandmummy that week and told that she would be allowed to go next time. Little Harry was going on a trip he just didn't know where yet.

"Will you please tell me, Uncle James?"

James smiled down at his tiny self. "Nope." He had magiced up a small set of luggage for the child and was busily helping him pack. "Harry, pick out three pair of pajamas."

The little boy obeyed with a petulant look on his face. "Not even a hint?"

"It's not at the bottom or the top of the world and I know you will have fun there."

The little boy handed the clothing to his uncle. "I need a bigger hint than that!"

James smiled again and ruffled the child's hair. "No you don't."

He watched the child in equal measures of amusement and relief. When he was Harry's age he wouldn't have _dared_ act that way. The child had finally gained enough confidence that he was beginning to act like a normal little kid. He was no longer an eerily quiet child, constantly fearing that he would be locked in the cupboard or struck. He was beginning to explore his boundaries a little, starting to rebel just the slightest bit. He was still a very, very good child and the one time James had to rebuke him had immediately reverted to a scared little boy. However, the simple fact that he was beginning to display childish tendencies was a relief. They were also beginning to enter the danger zone. Raising a child is perhaps the most difficult undertaking mankind has ever attempted. The balance between raising a spoiled brat and a traumatized little ball of humanity was precarious. Only a tiny thread separated the two. It didn't help that the child would sooner or later find out he was a hero to the wizarding world. The next year would prove to be the most important. No matter how much he wished to spare the child his fate he knew he couldn't. All he could do was try to ease his task as much as possible, hopefully saving lives in the process. However, he knew that no spoiled little brat would be able to shoulder the burden. The training would help keep the child grounded but there was still danger. Not for the first time, James thought back to his own childhood and how lucky they had all been that he had turned out as well as he had.

James reached out and lifted the scowling child into his lap. "Harry, I know you're excited. However, I want the place to be a surprise. I know you will like what I have chosen and will have a wonderful time. I will not tell you and I would hate to have to scold you the night before we leave. Please just look forward to the trip; stop wondering so much what the trip is. Trust me."

Even that light admonishment had an effect on the little boy.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really excited. I wasn't trying to be bad."

"I know little one and you weren't being a bad boy, not yet anyway."

He read the child his bedtime story and gently tucked him in to sleep. The older marauders had gone down for training early and James had managed to convince the program to let them off at ten thirty in order to get a good night's sleep. They were especially looking forward to the training. "No more of that sadist training!" Even they had to admit that it was paying off though.

James quickly packed his own things and levitated his and Harry's over to the front door after the magiced wheels on the whole lot. They would be traveling the muggle way.

After getting ready for bed James waved a spell over his dresser and took out a previously invisible book. He smiled down at the worn cover of the book and ran his finger over the engraved name, _Tom Marvalo Riddle_.

"Time for a bit of pre-vacation revelry." He carried the little book to the one room he had forbidden Harry to ever enter, the room with the black door. He muttered a spell around the edges of the door then stared closely at the little snake etched into the door knob.

"_Memoriessss._" The door creaked open. He laid the book down in the middle of the room on the appropriate place within the runes. Then erected the shields all around himself and the room. This was Tom's first horocrux and thus the easiest to be rid of. He waved his wand in the intricate patterns he had memorized so long ago and pictured his friends around him and supporting him as he began chanting.

"_Ex eternus vita ut eternus nex" _His chanting began softly and rose in volume as the magic intensified. A low keening wail began to emit from the diary. The patterns of the wand casting began to change, slowly becoming more and more violent. "_Ex eternus vita ut eternus nex"! _The horocrux was fighting back, struggling to remain in it's vessel. Pure black magic began shooting from the book and came dangerously close to hitting James a few times. The wailing grew louder and sweat began to bead on the young man's face as his eyes snapped open and focused on the representation of evil in front of him. Slowly, a dark purple aura was beginning to rise out of the pages. "Ex _eternus vita ut eternus nex!" _ The diary flew open and the pages started turning frantically a face was rising up from the pages, eyes wide open in pain and horror and mouth snarling in fury. A misty figure was rising from the diary, malevolent energy wafting all around him. "_Ex eternus vita ut eternus nex!" _With a scream of pure rage the figure flew at the young man disturbing it's rest. The claws were out and ready to tear at tender flesh. It's eyes were fixed on the wand. This was how Dumbledore had lost his hand. He hadn't known how to seal the spell. James did.

With a scream of his own, James concentrated and a blast of pure magic flew from his wand. "_Lux lucis defaeco!" _With a wail and a scream of terror, the image of the young boy in front of him wavered and then disintegrated into nothing.

Exhausted, James collapsed as soon as the spell was completed. Sweat was dripping off him but still, he managed to smile.

_That's one down…_

AN: Translations, From eternal life to eternal death and the final phrase was light purify. I swear I was having Sailor Moon flashbacks….

Once again, I have been stunned by the response this story has gotten. You guys really inspired me to get this chapter done. I confess, this chapter wasn't as easy to write as the others have been and I certainly hope it didn't show. I think I'm just starting to want some action in the fic. Yes readers, this is a warning. For all the people that have reviewed, C2'd me, favorited me, and put me on allerts, thank you.

There was really only one reviewer that I need to address here in the question answer section, and it's MY question I need answered. This has been bothering me. Reviewer that goes by the allias of Hey, what IS phyrric!? I'm sure it's a misspelling but I can't figure out what it's supposed to be! Please answer. This has really be bothering me. I'm confused. :; Thanks for the review though!

Again, thank you for all your kindness. The next chapter will be focusing on the vacation then we will start a process of fast forwading and pausing! We should be seeing Hogwarts soon. Yay! Oh, and don't worry about me abandoning the story when book seven comes out. I think the reason so many AUs are being written is because we don't like what is happening in the story. I'm just gonna read the seventh to find out how she says it ends. I think she rushed it a little too much. It peaked in the forth book for me. I still like them... just not as much.

FIC REC! This time it's Second Chances By: Irish Valkyrie. I've really been enjoying this little tale.

Sara out!


	9. Adventures With Myself

I would like to most graciously thank J.K. Rowling for letting me play with her toys.

Chapter Nine: Adventures With Myself

The next morning was a strange time for the residents of the Island, James had to be woken up by the Marauders. He had been so tired by the magic necessary to destroy a horocrux, that he had slept like the dead once he managed to crawl into bed. Normally, the man was an extremely light sleeper and woke once the sun's light flooded into his room but his magical energy had been so low that he had gone into an almost coma like sleep. Needless to say, it took Sirius more than just a few tries to wake the other man. In the end, the Black heir had thrown rocks at the sleeping wizard's head to wake him. Remus had the easy job, he was cooking breakfast with Harry.

Downstairs, Harry was just handing an egg to his uncle when a loud crash sounded from upstairs, followed by a yell and a scream. Remus laid a protective hand on his charges shoulder when little Harry dropped the egg in shock and fear.

Sirius peeked into the newly blasted hole in the wall trying to spot James. "Umm," He gulped. "You awake now"

James sighed and flipped open his trunk. "Yeah. Sorry about that." He wobbled and put a hand to his head. "Man I used too much magic last night."

Sirius blinked in confusion. This from the man that could out duel Dumbledore simultaneously with half the staff of Hogwarts getting into the act?

"What in the bloody hell did you _do_ last night!?"

James gave a tired grin and quaffed a bright blue potion before answering. He tossed a worn diary onto his bed and motioned for Sirius to pick it up.

Looking puzzled, Sirius picked up the little book. His eyes widened when he caught sight of the engraving. "James, is this…"

Holding another empty potion bottle and looking like the cat that ate the canary, James nodded. "One down. It takes really powerful magic to get rid of one of those things. The potions I just took should help. I'll be right as rain by day-after-tomorrow. Right now, I'm afraid all I could take on is ten normally powered death eaters."

"Oh yeah right! You're so weak Jamie boy!"

James just laughed.

No one noticed when three men and a small, very excited little boy appeared in the restroom of a busy airport terminal in India. The majority of their luggage had been shrunken and place in pockets and they only carried enough baggage to look like savvy travelers. James stepped up to the ticket booth and picked up the tickets he had reserved the previous week. He rejoined his group and looked down at the little boy tugging at his jacket.

"Uncle James, why are we flying? Can't we just… you know." He had spent a good part of last week explaining the differences between wizards and muggles and how important it was _not_ to talk about magical things around muggles.

James smiled down at the little child. "Actually, this little flight is part of the vacation. The plane has a very special section that I think you'll find a lot of fun. Plus, every little boy needs to fly on a plane at least once."

James wasn't lying. It turned out, a muggle born wizard owned the company and had designed a magical section onto one of his planes. The idea hadn't taken off though and wasn't continued onto other planes. Some wizards just didn't realize that getting there was part of the fun.

The inside of the magical compartment more closely resembled a luxury train than a stuffed plane and the little boy was excited about it. He even got to go up in the cockpit and meet the pilot. For several months into the future when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up the little boy would point to his "shiny wings" and happily chirp, "Airplane flyer!"

When the plane landed and little Harry looked out the window of the terminal, his mouth dropped and he squalked. "This is England!"

James chuckled. "Why yes, it is. I figured you should have your first vacation here in your mother country."

Little Harry just blinked in confusion. "But we can come to England any old time!"

James just smiled. "Not like this we can't." As he spoke, an attendant stepped up to his and whispered something in his ear. He smiled again and nodded at the woman. "Come gentlemen, out limo awaits."

The three men ignored Harry's soft question of, "What's a limo?" trusting he would figure it out on his own.

Harry _loved_ the limo. He gorged himself on the complementary cookies and other sweets and enjoyed playing with the many buttons. Once he figured out how to open the sky light he was constantly popping his head out of the top and waving at the other drivers. "Hi peoples!"

All four men, including the limo driver, were highly amused by the antics of the child.

When they got close enough, James reached for the child and sat him in his lap, gently covering the eager green eyes with one of his large hands.

"We don't want to spoil the surprise."

Harry did his first pouting of the day.

When they arrived at their destination, James carried the small boy out of the limo, turned him so he was facing outwards and uncovered the child's eyes.

"Welcome to Alton Towers."

For Harry, it was like a fairy tale. Alton Towers was one of the biggest and oldest theme parks in England. It was located in Staffordshire and had been around since the 1800s. Recently, it had become England's answer to Disney themed parks and had many attractions.

The three men watched in undisguised affection as, once the shock had worn off, the little boy had started bouncing in his uncle's arms and squealing excitedly. He squirmed to be set down and bounced along, literally, holding his uncle James and uncle Remus' hand. A bell boy had already gone out to the limo and was collecting their luggage. James checked them in and they were led to the elevators.

"Top floor, president's suite."

Little Harry was fascinated with the elevators and pressed himself tight up against the glass walls as the silver contraption sped upwards. A few people on the ground saw the cute little boy and smiled. The little boy had just enough time to wave enthusiastically before they rose out of sight.

The bell boy unlocked one of two rooms on the top floor and motioned them inside. By special request, one of the rooms had been decorated and outfitted for a child.

Upon entering, Harry gave a cry of delight and started running towards the telly. Apparently, the little boy had missed his cartoons. Remus and Sirius both gave a low whistle at how much money the younger man was blowing.

James paid the bell boy a tip and sent him away. "Well, I transfigured the house, groceries don't cost _that_ much and I had some galleons in my trunk when I got here. I've pretty much decided to spare no expenses on vacations. I came here with my best friends after sixth year for a bit of vacation. It was the best time I've ever had in my life." James walked over to the ceiling to floor window and looked out at the spectacular view. "It's good to be back."

They decided to take it easy for the rest of the day and tackle the park in the morning. They went out to a very nice restaurant and a movie, The Goonies. James figured it was ok for a little kid like Harry. He shouldn't have been worried about the rating though, half-way through the movie the little boy crawled into his uncle's lap and fell fast asleep.

When they got back to their room, James handed Remus the next dose of his potion. The full moon was only a day away. Remus had insisted they go at this time due to the special event that would be happening in a few days.

James talked with the Marauders for a little while before heading to bed. Vacation day one had been a full day and he knew the next day would be even more busy.

Not surprisingly, it was little Harry that woke the household up in the morning. Although James was shocked into wakefulness, the little boy was safe. Harry had woken up, wandered into the main room, waited patiently… for five minutes, perhaps then proceeded to hop on the couch and squeak rather loudly.

"It's today! It's today!"

By the time James had emerged from his room, he had plastered a smile on his face. His magic was quickly recovering and he felt less anxious about letting the child wander. He managed to sneak up on his personal mini-me and enjoyed hearing the peals of laughter as he grabbed the boy around the middle and tickled him. At about this time Sirius and Remus also made an appearance, Remus was looking decidedly off color and joined in. By the time breakfast was served, the little boy was pink-cheeked and his tummy was hurting a bit from all the laughing.

When they entered the park proper, James was afraid he was going to have to tie the lad to one of him. He was a little ball of hyper-active energy and not one of the three men had the heart to rebuke him. They did manage to get him to calm down enough to sit in James' lap while they decided what they wanted to do first. In the end, they decided they would do a circle of the park, taking turns staying with Harry while the others went on a ride and riding with the child when parents were allowed on the attractions. It worked out rather well. Harry was, of course, too small to ride the bigger things but he was able to ride the swinging ship, the log ride, the flying swings, a new ride that pretended to take the park goers into outer space, complete with aliens and of course, all the kiddie rides he wanted. The park was also known for it's gardens and it was decided that after lunch, and another dose of potion for Remus, that they would go on a few trails.

Harry was fascinated with the vast variety of plants and flowers and Remus had to tell him more than a few times not to pick the pretty flowers. The little boy soon made a game out of the whole experience and began running ahead of the rest of the group and taking the most difficult routes for the taller men. James, Remus and Sirius soon got used to the little cry of, "I didn't have to duck!"

At the last minute, they decided to walk one last trail that boasted a rather impressive waterfall. Harry had only seen very small examples back on the Island.

As before, it didn't take very long at all for the little boy to run on ahead despite James' calls for the child to stay where he could be seen. They were nearing the waterfall if the low roar in the air was anything to go by and James almost didn't hear the surprised yelp off in the distance. He figured the boy had merely fallen and called out to confirm it.

"Harry, you alright?"

Silence.

Concerned, all three men broke into a run, yelling Harry's name and hoping that he would answer.

They were surprised at what they found.

Just off the trail, in a little clearing the boy sat quietly, his hand resting upon the flank of a very terrified looking fawn.

Holding his chest in relief, James began scolding the child.

"Harry, why didn't you answer me? I was worried about you! Why didn't…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to scare it. I think it's hurt. When I came around the corner it tried to get up but it fell back down." James peered into his younger self's tearing eyes and nodded.

"It's alright. I understand." He quietly approached the pair. "Let's see if we can do something about the little guy."

James wandlessly cast a calming charm on the creature and bent to examine it. The poor thing had been attacked by something, some violent predator had mutilated the fawn's leg. He gently stroked the little animal's soft flank to calm it further then nodded for Harry to keep it occupied. He gently healed the wounds as carefully and as well as he could. He had studied field healing but he wasn't a master at the gentle art. By the time he was done, the little fawn was able to walk, slowly and wobbly but he was mobile. James cast a light protection charm on it to hopefully ward off predators until it could find its mother.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it will be fine. After all, it's a mummies' job to watch over her babies." He smiled down at the little boy. "Try to stay in sight from now on alright little one?"

Little Harry nodded and scampered off.

"Never could get healing down. It takes too much patience." Sirius was grinning at James. "Prongs Jr. saves a prongs jr. Priceless!"

Remus smacked the grim animagus on the back of the head. "Bad pun! I can heal fine. I was just afraid the poor thing would smell the wolf so I stayed well back."

James nodded. "Probably a good idea."

The three men continued to talk, prank each other and generally horse around as they approached the water fall. James kept at least one eye on his young ward and was pleased to see that the child was obeying his guardian and staying close enough this time around.

They had walked for a few more minutes before the ground started getting rocky and little Harry suddenly clapped his hands and cried out, "It's bootiful!" and scampered off.

James allowed this and chuckled at how little Harry's speech regressed back to baby-talk when he was particularly excited about something. They did pick up the pace a little.

Alarm spread through the boy's guardians as a cry of a completely different sort echoed through the trees then was suddenly silenced. They sped though the woods and came to a screeching halt about thirty feet from the falls.

"Harry!"

The struggling little boy was being held fast in the arms of someone James and Remus knew very well, Grayback.

Immediately, James had his wand in his hand and the two older Marauders weren't far behind. "You let that boy go. Now."

Another figure stepped out of the trees this one was female and worse yet, she was holding a wand. "Und who iz going to make us foolish boy?"

Though surprised, James aimed his wand between Grayback and the newcomer.

"That would be me and my friends. Just who are you?"

The unknown woman sneered. "You may call me the harbinger of your death. Dis is especially true if you plan to 'ake dis boy from us."

James smiled charmingly. "I'm afraid I can't allow anything to happen to that child. I'm here to ensure that he has a long, happy life… unlike you two if you don't let him go right now."

Fenrir sneered at the man and dug his claw like nails into the young flesh beneath him. A pleased snarl left his lips as he heard the child squeal in pain and fright.

"He is to be the wolf's dinner tonight. I have marked him and drawn his blood. He belongs to me!"

At that moment, a bright light shone around the small child and with a scream of his own, the wolf-man dropped him.

James had guessed that would happen and had swooped down and grabbed the hurt, frightened child before either the wolf or the female could recover. He felt the child struggle at first then, realizing who now had him, cling to him with all his strength. To reassure both himself and little Harry, he held the little boy tightly for a moment before handing him over to Sirius. He looked down at his younger-self and over at Remus. When he spoke his words were sharp and clipped, very unlike anything Harry had ever heard from his beloved uncle.

"Remus, this scum here hurt our cub and he took your humanity from you. Kill him. Regain your honor." He brandished his wand. "I'll take the stray." He looked over towards the woman. "Just to let you know, you're about to die."

Before she could even take a breath to object or curse him, one of the many trees in the area moved.

She gasped and brought her hands up to her chest where a thick but sharp piece of the ancient plant was sticking out of her.

"Wha…" She gasped and choked on a scream as blood began running from her mouth.

James stepped up to her. "I show no mercy to my enemies." He raised his wand and aimed it between her eyes.

Her eyes widened until they were about to pop out of her head and she began pleading as well as she could being skewered on the end of a tree like she was. The last thing she saw this end of eternity was cold, dead looking green eyes staring back at her.

James had decided to be as least a little merciful and had sent a simple reducto curse at her head shielding himself from the shower of gore that splattered around as her head exploded.

He turned and nodded at the wide-eyed Sirius Black who had very wisely buried the little boy's face in his chest and held him there tightly.

He watched dispassionately as Moony, for that is what he was at the moment, advanced on the man, thing, that had came very close to ruining his life. He would not be giving Bill Weasley a livid scar and an extreme liking for rare steaks this time around.

Remus held his wand on his enemy and snarled. "For too long you've targeted children and given my kind a bad name! Well you won't be able to do it anymore! It stops here and now. You will never kill again!"

Greyback was not defending himself just yet. He was too busy staring at the mutilated corpse of his mate. "Netasha. You have killed my chosen mate!"

James just smiled at the creature. "And if I know Moony, you'll soon be joining her."

"Damn right he will." With a cry, Remus threw himself at the monster that had haunted his nightmares ever since he had been bitten. Instead of using his wand, the otherwise scholarly young man pulled out a dagger that had belonged to his father. "I've been saving this for you." He plunged it deep into the wolf's chest, just missing his heart.

With this new pain, Fenrir began to fight back.

With a howl of agony, the wolf-man was all claws and teeth as he wrestled with his assailant. Remus, for his part, simply raised the dagger and plunged it once more into the monster that had haunted his childhood.

Fenrir looked up at the man as his eyesight began to grow blurry. Of course, the idiot pup would coat the dagger in silver wouldn't he? He growled low in his throat and attempted to throw the younger wolf-man off him.

Remus simply plunged the dagger in one last time.

"You tried to take my humanity away. You tried to make me just as much a monster as you are. I decided a long time ago that I would kill you as a man would and that you would die like a dog." He twisted the blade making Fenrir howl in pain. "You're going to die like a dog, alone, suffering and lying in your own filth." He cast a sticking spell on the blade. There was no way for the dying monster to pull it out now.

"You're finished. You'll never ruin another child's life and you won't be around to give our kind a bad name anymore."

Fenrir could only glare at the man and with a final gurgle, he died.

James wasted no time in transfiguring all the gore around them to flower petals and the bodies to fallen branches. There would be no evidence, as far as the muggles were concerned at least, that their attackers ever existed.

Silently, he turned to Sirius and collected the shaking child.

"It's alright, no one can hurt you now." He gently tried to calm his younger, traumatized self. "You're safe."

James couldn't figure out if he felt more like screaming or crying. Saving Harry from the horrors of his childhood had been one of the things he most wanted. Now those horrors were being re-visited upon his other self, in a different way but just as potent.

Wordlessly, all three men turned on the spot and reappeared in their rooms.

Part of the reason the child was so devastated was that his dear, sweet uncles, people that had always been nothing but kind had hurt someone. Sure, that someone was being bad and mean and deserved a spanking and maybe even the cupboard but he was upset his uncles had been that mean.

James sat down on the couch still cradling the small child. Sirius and Remus sat to either side and tried their best to sooth the now sobbing little boy.

"They'll never hurt you again sweetheart. I promise."

Little Harry sniffed and his little lip trembled. "B-but why d-did they act s-so mean?"

James held the child tight. "Some people are just mean. I don't know why they are. They just choose to be bad and want to hurt as many people as they possibly can. We had to stop them from hurting people, including you."

"You sounded so mad! And your voices were scary too."

Remus took up the reigns this time. "That's really the only way to get through to people like them. And we were mad. Anyone that wants to hurt you, cub, is gonna have to go through all of us."

James took a quick breath. "That reminds me." He gently held Harry out from him a little ways and began checking him over for injuries. "Did they hurt you?"

The child tried to burrow his way back into his uncle's strong chest and when that didn't work, he pouted. "My arm hurts a little…"

A few hours later, James sat on the edge of Harry's bed and gently brushed some hair away from the child's brow. They had finally managed to get him to sleep. He had refused to eat anything at all and had been even more clingy with his uncles than when James had first retrieved the lad from the Dursleys. He quickly and quietly set up alert charms that would let him know if Harry was having a nightmare or even beginning to stir and exited the room. It wasn't even sunset yet so Moony was just drinking his last dose of potion.

Sirius scowled as James emerged and spat as if he had just drank something fowl.

"Well, this is a bloody brilliant holiday."

James made a face. "You said it. I really, really don't want him cooped up on that Island training his brains out all the time but if it's the only way to keep him safe…"

Remus nodded silently for a moment then his head snapped up.

"Mum's charm!"

"Eh?"

"After I was bitten, Mum was scared to death my wolf-self would hurt my baby sister. She died pretty early in the war, James, both of them did. But anyway, my Mum found this ancient charm that would let my sister interact normally with everyone… except people that wanted to hurt her. They didn't even have to know who she was. I know Moony had no way of telling friend from foe. If they saw her and wanted to hurt her… poof! She wasn't there anymore to their senses, except touch, of course. It's a special spell intended for children that are too young to defend themselves. The spell is overloaded by the first class one spell preformed in either charm or transfiguration. We would just have to teach Harry the really, basic stuff first. It would be no problem though, it's what we were planning on doing anyway. With that spell and Lilly's protection, Harry would be virtually untouchable until he was ready to take on at least a little danger!"

James grinned in relief. "Moony, you're a genius."

Remus smiled shyly back. "I'll get to work on finding it as soon as we get back home. I have no idea where Mum found that spell in the first place. I just remember her telling be about it after my second transformation. I was really upset about the whole thing by then, just really beginning to understand what had happened to me and Mum took me aside and answered all my questions. She told me she had to look in some pretty old locations to find the spell but she had and I didn't have to worry about hurting Athene." He grinned sheepishly. "I think that's really when I started to love books and research."

James clapped the older man on the back. "You sure you aren't Mione's much older soul mate? Alright. So we have our solution. Now all we have to do is keep Harry safe until then." James stood up. "Seeing as it's about that time of the month for Moony, I'll take my leave now. Harry's room has two twin beds. I think I'll sleep in there. Have a good night you two."

"Hey James? For you to get a marauder name you would have to be an animagus. Right? I mean that is a rule we made up."

James smiled. "That my dear Padfoot is something I'm keeping to myself for now."

AN: I know... I KNOW it's been a while. Life caught up to me. What can I say? Gomen Gomen (Sorry sorry) I've... been busy. First of all I got a new boyfriend and THAT filled up my social calendar right quick second of all I've been bouncing from temp job to temp job trying to find a home... it's stressful. I thank you for your patients and that I was not harrassed, threatened or otherwise annoyed during the wait. I will try to get the next chapter out faster. I cannot promise though. It may even be longer. Who knows? What I can say is that I LOVE this story, have no plans to abandon it (even with book seven coming out soon) and have pretty much planned out the rest of this branch of the Taking Care of Myself stories. Here's the the run down.

Next Chapter: Entertaining Myself Then: Protecting Myself And Finally: Glimpses of Myself

You had questions? Here's your answers!

Thank you to various people for clarifying Phric (Phyrric) for me. I feel learned now. XD

Fear not, Glimpses of Myself will also hold glimpses of the Weasleys inculding Ron.

Please, Please LEAVE ME ALONE ABOUT THE GRAMMAR!!! I know it isn't perfect. I know I get some HP terms wrong I don't care. I MIGHT go back and edit everything after I finish the story. Until then... most respectfully SHADDUP!!! I'm writing this for fun and practice. K?

Fear not, I have not forgotten about our favorite little hyper-active little house elf. Neither has James. We will be seeing him soon.

Sirius is bloody rich yes, HOWEVER he just got out of Askaban. He needs fun and friends around. Desperately. Plus Harry has him wound around his little finger.

I am currently trying to work out in my pointy little head how much book cannon I will keep when I go into the Hogwarts years.

Karen, Paradigm of Uncertainty can be found under the Screen name Lori on Normally, you would be right, a parent would be reluctant to turn over their child to a stranger but think on these issues. The parents are in shock, their little girl finally made a friend, the tutoring is with the said friend, the consequences for not coroporating were made quite extreme by James. In short, they were blackmailed into it. They will eventually come to love James and accept him as a surogate uncle to Hermy though. Also there is behind the scene stuff. And I can assure you, one of them was coming to see the Island. Sorry I didn't mention it.

Butterfly Army: Honestly, do you really think that ANYONE who found the guilty party in the Potter's betrayal would be under especial scrutiny by the former marauders? Remus was VERY suspicious at first... until James gave him wormtail and gave him back Sirius. After that, in their eyes, James could do no wrong.

Yup, starting with the first Narnia book. Like my mom did with me when I was Little Harry's age. -

Thank you all so much for the extremely kind reviews. I am stunned, flabbergasted and VERY flattered by all the responce this story is getting. 200+ reviews in only 8 chapters. WOW! You guys keep me going... more than I would otherwise. Luvs to you all.

IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!!!??? After TWO years (and you thought I was bad!) RossWrock has FINALLY updated Harry Potter and the Power of Time. GO read. NOW!

ALSO, VOS CORPUS IS FINISHED!!!! SOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!! It's by MissAnnThropic. Read. Now.


	10. Entertaining and Memories of Myself

Chapter Ten: Entertaining and old memories of Myself

Unsurprisingly that night, Harry had a nightmare. This time, he wasn't so easily comforted. He had dreamed that his uncles had decided that Harry was 'bad' and that they had started treating him even worse than the Dursleys had. The poor little boy was in hysterics by the time James had regained enough sense to be of any help. Once he realized what was going on, the tiny whimpers, pained cries and pleading coming from the bed next door helped him put it all together, he leapt out of bed and was gently shaking the child in a twinkling. Glazed green eyes snapped open but for once, he didn't look relived to have his uncle standing over him like that. Not being able to tell the difference between his nightmares and the waking world, the little boy froze and started muttering apologies.

James didn't know what to make of the child.

"It's alright, little one. You know I don't mind one bit." He sat down on the bed and reach for the child. Harry flinched. The little boy hadn't flinched when it concerned his uncle since the second week they had stayed together. James, though devastated at the flinch, continued to reach for the child and gently pulled him close. "Sweet heart, I don't know what you dreamed but that's all it was, a dream. I love you and I would never, ever hurt you. Please tell me what's wrong."

Harry gave a little sniff and wavered between burying his face into his uncle's chest and trying to squirm away.

James gave a little sigh and gently tugged the small boy into his lap and soon had his head tucked securely under his chin. He didn't say a word; he just slowly rocked back and forth and began idly playing with the child's messy mop of hair. Slowly, the child began to calm and his tiny hand inched up and tentatively gripped the material of his caretaker's pajamas. James remained silent and continued to pet the child as the little boy slowly broke down. Before long, little Harry was sobbing his poor little heart out and holding onto James with a death grip. James made soothing little noises and held his small self close.

"It's alright now, little one. You're awake, safe, and very loved. It's ok to cry and I'm so sorry you had to see me at my worst but I swear, I'll only be like that to protect you."

The small, broken voice was heart shattering to James' ears. "I-I ssaw it. Y-you made a tree go through the bad lady." He shook at the memory. "I don't like it when you're mean like that. I had a bad dream that you, uncle pafoo and moo moo were all mean. You had cided I was bad and-"

James was distraught. "Oh no. No, no, no!" He shook his head violently back and forth and little Harry was surprised to feel something wet plop onto his forehead. He looked up. Uncle James was crying! Harry only got a glimpse because James grabbed the child and squeezed him tightly.

"I was praying that you hadn't seen me do that! I never, ever wanted you to see that. You're too young to see that kind of thing! And little one, if you took a knife right now and stabbed be with it, if you burned down our house, _nothing_ could make me stop loving you. I will never think you're bad like that and I will _never_ ever try to hurt you. There will be some things that have to be done. I've told you this and I'm sorry in advance but it will be because I love you and want to keep you as safe and happy as I possibly can! You are my precious little boy. Nothing, natural or magical can change that. I know I speak for your uncle Remus and Padfoot when I say they feel the same. Sweetheart, you're the light of our lives. I don't think any of us would be getting on very well if it wasn't for you."

If anything, the small child only cried harder. "Weally? I'm your little boy?"

"Of course you are! I love you more than anything or anyone else."

Beginning to calm, the child nuzzled his tired little head into his Uncle's chest. He seemed about to ask something else then dropped _that_ particular question for a later time. He had been playing with the idea for about a week and a half. Surely he could wait until Uncle James was more awake and not so upset anymore.

The two sat in silence for a few more minutes as both Harry's calmed down. Finally, James heard a soft, "Wuv you Daddy." come from the small bundle on his lap and snapped his head down to stare at his charge with eyes wide in surprise and perhaps a little panic. Of course, the child had fallen asleep, curled up quite adorably snuggled close. James blinked a few times and raised his head to stare ahead of him.

"He called me… daddy." Torn between dissolving into another crying fit and the simple joy he felt at having the child trust him that much, James let a few tears fall and then, with a tender smile, wandlessly expanded the bed and laid down, still cradling the small child close. He knew he couldn't allow the child to call him dad, father, or anything like that. Those were titles that belonged to a man that had died protecting his wife and child without a second thought. But still, he couldn't help but smile at the thought. As he finally drifted back to sleep, the man swore he could feel something click into place that he had long dreamed about. He had a very strange family, but it was a close one and a loving one. That's all either of them really ever needed.

Somehow, no matter how awful the night is, things always look better in the morning. James woke to the feeling of a small body snuggling against him and the soft snuffs of the sleeping child's breaths. He was very glad that they were on vacation and had actually planned to sleep late all week. Judging how bright the room was though, it was already past ten at least. James rolled over and stretched with a jaw cracking yawn. It was time to see if this vacation could be salvaged.

To his surprise and delight, the child greeted the day with a small smile on his innocent little face. He was still very clingy toward all his uncles, especially James. The only problem this caused was that instead of having his own horse for their tour of the Cotswold's and a bit of the Moors, the little boy sat proudly in front of his favorite person in the world as he marveled at the houses that, "look like candy!" The three men and one little boy had kept independent of any tour groups and just happened to stumble upon a small village festival being held just off the more frequented paths. Harry finally got to sample quite a few English favorites that James didn't quite know how to make and a few that he didn't care to make – those pies were a bit too heavy and took a little too long considering their heavy schedule. James had carried over his favorite treat though, treacle tart. As he expected, Harry loved it.

In addition to the food, there were also a few craft stands set up and Harry got a few hand-made toys out of the deal. After getting tired of the small carnival, they rode down to a crystal clear lake and fished and swam until time to take the horses back. It was just what Harry had needed, a nice, quiet day.

The day after that, they stuck around the resort complex playing a number of games and riding rides until they were almost too dizzy to walk. Harry especially loved the few water rides the park had. In a rare prophetic moment, Remus predicted that some day, entire parks would be centered around water. James just grinned and didn't say a word.

After that, the trip got a bit educational. He saw all the sights that every good British citizen should, the tower of London, the wax museum, Harry had found it fun yet creepy, the changing of the guard, and a few castles, after which they caught a child-friendly comedy at the West End Theater. The next day, they rounded up the educational part with a visit to the English museum and a mock archeological dig that had been set up near Hadrian's Wall.

The last day was Harry's favorite. They visited the famous Babbacombe model village, a place where reproductions had been made of many famous places, ancient times, and simply fun things, complete with the characters, all in miniature. Most of the taller attractions only came up to the small boy's chest. He loved the little figures that 'lived' in the little towns and was especially fascinated with the small, literally, circus that was one of the park's features. He had, of course, skipped right into the middle of the reproduction of London and pretended to be a monster about to knock over the town. (He hadn't touched a thing.) Remus, having a thing for foreign movies, had pointed and yelled that Godzilla would level the town and the other two had quickly gotten into the act complete with saying a phrase then letting another mouth the words several seconds later. A great time was had by all. As a special surprise, James had the park take a photo of the boy and make a figurine of him, putting the little version of Harry in one of the scenes. With a twinkle in his eye, James had specifically requested the Merlin display. After one year (in which the lad could return for free) his little representation would be sent to the Grangers to give to Harry. They finished up their vacation with a helicopter flight over Snowdonia, a sight of incredible beauty where ancient glacial fields had carved low mountains millions of years ago.

It was a very much exhausted group that boarded the flight back to India and then back home. Harry slept almost the entire way there, curled up in James' lap like a contented kitten. He did wake about an hour before they landed and sleepily snuggled into the warmth of his counterpart. Uncle James was looking down at him with fondness. Maybe, he thought, now would be a good time. Uncle Siri and Reme were both asleep, and snoring loudly.

"Uncle James?"

"Yes little one?"

"Can you be my Daddy?"

James smiled a little sadly and gently squeezed the boy. "Little one, I'm not your daddy. Your daddy loved you very much but he's gone now. Just because he's gone though doesn't make him any less your daddy. He and your mummy are watching you from heaven. I know they're very proud of their little boy."

"B-but you're not like an uncle to me! The word doesn't fit, especially not after uncle Vernon." He frowned and made a face after saying the name, like he had just tasted bitter medicine. "Could I maybe call you Papa? You're related to be and papa doesn't always mean daddy, does it?"

"It usually does." He looked down at the hopeful little boy in his lap. He hadn't prepared for this. Sure, when he had taken the boy he expected the lad to love him and for him to love him back but a father son relationship, with himself?! He thought about it some more. They really did act more in that role didn't they? With a short nod, he made his decision. "However, as you seem so determined, I'll allow it. Just remember, I'm just a bad stand-in for your real daddy."

Harry shook his head and grinned. "No. You're the best Papa!" He gave the man a warm hug and felt the strong arms wrap around him. "I love you little one."

"I love you too Papa!"

Harry was back asleep fifteen minutes later and didn't wake back up until the next morning, warm and snug in his own little bed with his new toys displayed tastefully in the room. Time to get back to Island life. He wondered what Monie would think of him being a little village resident for a year.

They hadn't been back on the Island for long before James got the owl he'd been waiting for since he had ratted out the Malfoys and been told they were selling almost everything to keep Lucius out of prision.

_Dear Sir, _

_Considering your interest in certain items, you are cordially invited to the Malfoy estate auction to be held this Saturday. The auction will commence on the front lawn of the manor precisely at one O'clock. Refreshments will be provided. You are respectfully asked to be prompt and sympathetic to the feelings of the former tenants._

_We at Gringotts Bank look forward to your attendance. _

_Sincerely,_

_Trollbiter_

_Bank Manager_

James was quick to inform the rest of the household of the approaching event and Sirius and Remus just why he was so excited to save the house elf. Sirius was a little doubtful at first.

"I just don't get it, James. Why go through all that trouble for a bloody house-elf. The thing we had serving us was a little monster! If that Dobby of yours is anything like Kreature…"

"He's nothing like that little insect! Dobby is one of my most trusted friends. He started out as a Malfoy house-elf and risked his life and magic to warn me of the Basilisk my second year. After that we became good friends. That house elf was priceless the year we went looking for the horocrux. We probably never would have found the locket if it weren't for him. He even died for us."

_Dobby refused to let him out of his sight. With the elf so constantly on alert, the group had to slip him a sleeping potion every now and then to assure he got some rest. They had stationed the little house elf as guard and the night it happened seemed to be a normal night at first. _

_Dobby stood near-invisible, thanks to house elf magic, guarding the three sleeping teens in the room behind him. _

_He couldn't help but worry about his friends, especially Mas- Sir Harry. The great wizard always looked so tired and he hardly smiled anymore. Dobby wished there was something he could do. Sir Harry was still a very kind wizard to house elfs though. When the teens ate alone in whatever room they were staying in, Harry Potter Sir always insisted on unworthy Dobby eating with them. Dobby couldn't help but dream of the day when the war would end and Dobby would become the great noble Harry Potter's house elf, serving him through daily life and watching his children grow. That was his own private little dream._

_The little elf was snapped out of said dream by the tell-tale crack of apperating wizards. That bad wizard that owned this place must have sold his master out! _

_Quick as a flash, the little elf was back in the room and using a water spell to wake everyone. The groans of protesting teenagers were quickly cut off by the elf._

"_You is be going now! Bad wizards have found yous! Dobby knew the man downstairs was a bad wizard! Dobby will keep bad wizards from finding kind masters and miss!"_

_With a wave of his tiny hand, all of their luggage was packed neatly and Master's invisibility cloak had been expanded. _

"_You's must be hurrying!"_

_Harry desperately grabbed the elf by the shoulders. _

"_Come with us! There's still time!"_

_Dobby just shook his head. "Dobby wishes to. But there's not enough time. Dobby is happy that he was able to serve the great Harry Potter while he is busy on great quest to kill the bad wizards. Dobby wishes his kind master to remember him kindly."_

_That said, he threw the invisibility cloak over the surprised teens and pressed the port-key into his masters Hermy's hand. _

_With tears running down her face, she clutched her two best friend's hands tightly and whispered and key word, "Sanctuary!"_

_In a flash of light they were gone._

_The portkey was a special one, designed to move the travelers five miles away and thus to a safer place. _

_As soon as Harry realized what had happened, he yelled out for Dobby and prepared to apperate back to the hotel. He was unprepared when Hermione realized what he was planning and tackled him, throwing them both to the ground. _

"_Harry you can't! Going back there would be suicide!"_

_Harry desperately turned to his friends. "I can't just leave him there! He'll be killed! I won't let another die for my sake! I can't!"_

_Harry let out a dry sob as his two best friends wrapped him in a warm hug. _

"_You have to. You are the only one that can stop all this from happening. Harry, please. He might still make it out."_

_And so the three teens waited and watched, keeping their eyes glued to where they knew the hotel was. Only a few minutes later a bright flash of flames and a large report was heard coming from that area. The death eaters had blown the building up. _

_Harry dropped to his knees. "No! Dobby!" _

_He could barely remember his friends side-alonging him away to yet another safe house. He had been so distraught. It was even worse than what had happened to Hagrid…_

James wiped a few tears from his eyes and looked over at the transfixed marauders. "That elf was a good friend, the best I could have asked for really. This is the best chance I will ever get to re-pay him for all he did for me. I trust him just as much as I did Monie and Ron." He shot his god-father a determined look. "He's coming. That isn't negotiable. And you will treat him with respect and manners."

Sirius looked rather contrite as he apologized and promised to treat the little elf well. Harry, when he was told was a little perplexed at why anyone would like working quite that much but was excited about the possibility of a new, albeit strange, friend.

James waited impatiently for the lot he wanted.

He had wasted no time and quickly dashed off a reply that he would be there. Time had both flown and dragged it's feet through the seconds till Saturday.

He had risen early and dressed in his finest business robes taking extra care to ensure he looked the part of a well-to-do wizard from an old family just returning to England after a rather long time.

The event had been just what he thought it would be, boring, stunningly so. Throughout the auction, soft music was continually playing and a number of human servants meandered through the bidding crowd to offer refreshments. It was being held in the rather impressive gardens.

The whole event was such a strange spectacle. The Malfoys were desperately trying to safe face by spending even more of the money they owed the ministry to provide all those luxuries. To all but the most careful observers it appeared as if the family was simply liquidating their assets and was planning to move somewhere more sunny perhaps. Lady Malfoy had been seen twittering on about how the draft old place was no where suitable to raise their special little boy. Any suggestions that the Malfoys were almost as poor as the Weasleys were laughed off and it was suggested that the Quibbler had gotten even more outlandish with it's stories.

"_First claming that He-who-must-not-be-named was hiding as a gypsy in a traveling circus now this! By Merlin when will it stop? That silly man and his outlandish theories!"_

James, being a careful observer, _could_ see what was behind the scenes, the wistful looks the Malfoy patriarch shot a few family heirlooms, the pinched look on his face, the baleful glares Lady Malfoy shot her husband and the strange light that would appear in her eyes every now and again as she glanced at a booklet in her hand. Little Draco, who had thrown the world's biggest tantrum at finding out most of his toys were being sold last night, was no where to be seen.

"Next up ladies and gentlemen, lot 452, a house-elf by the name, Dobby, you can change this later of course. He's young, good for breeding, and has a high magic capability. He comes with the standard bond. Let's start the bidding at ten thousand galleons shall we?"

James quietly waited until the bidding crept up higher and higher, finally topping at fifteen thousand galleons, quite a respectable sum for a house-elf.

"That's fifteen thousand galleons for the house-elf for Lord Greengrass, going once, going twice, s-"

"Twenty thousand galleons." Everyone in the garden turned to look at the previously quiet young man that had spoken out. He hadn't even bid on anything before the elf. Up on the stage, the little house-elf's eyes widened. Such a price for an unworthy elf! He risked a glance at the wizard that had bid on him. Strange… he already felt loyal to the man.

A throat was cleared. "I hear twenty thousand. May I have twenty one?" Silence. "Any other bids?" He waited for a moment before nodding. "Going once, going twice, sold!"

James did buy one other item, a specially made shield that blocked most spells, even the cruticias, it was rumored. He thought it might come in handy.

After the auction was over, he briefly met with the goblin to pay then was led back to a room where his new possessions waited. James chaffed a little at having to remain cool and uncaring towards the little elf as the goblin went over a few more things. Finally, they were left alone to do the binding ceremony.

James sighed in relief as the door shut firmly behind the goblin. It had been hard pretending to be yet another cold pure-blood. He finally allowed a friendly smile to bloom on his face as he looked down at the frightened little elf. He was torn between laughing in delight and hugging his old friend and getting down on one knee and apologizing for not grabbing his arm right before the port-key whisked them away. However, he knew that either of these things would scare the little guy so he slowly sat down in front of the elf and cast a healing spell ridding the small form of it's remaining bruises and burns. He just smiled when wide, surprised eyes met his for a split second then lowered.

"It's alright Dobby, I don't mind if you look me in the eye, in fact, I'd prefer it. I think you'll quickly find that I'm not your normal cold blooded aristocrat."

Dobby cautiously looked at his master for a moment then averted his eyes. "M-master?" This wizard was just strange.

"Yes Dobby the house-elf, I accept you as mine and I also vow to protect you and treat you as a valued member of my house-hold." He handed the surprised elf a clean, soft, blue pillow case with the potter crest emblazoned on it, already cut for his size and shape and a multicolored strip of cloth that would serve as a belt.

Dobby's hands fairly shook as he put on his new uniform, he liked it quite a lot especially the belt, trying to swallow his shock at being given such a vow by his new master. As the elf cinched the belt into place, both wizard and elf were bathed in a lovely, soft golden glow. The color signified the strength and personality of the wizard. Golden was almost unheard of, it meant that Dobby, the unworthy creature that he was, had somehow gotten himself bonded to a master that was not only strong but also benevolent.

James gently touched the little elf on the shoulder gaining his attention. He smiled gently at his confused friend.

"As I'm sure you've guessed, there will be many differences between your old master and I. The first thing I want you to understand is that you are not under any circumstances to ever punish yourself again. You will receive a little room all your own and you're to tell me if any member of my household ever shows you disrespect. I know you will keep my secrets but I must tell you just how important mine are. The fate of the wizarding world depends on your silence and I need to know, did the Malfoys do anything to you to make you tell them things even now that you are no longer theirs?"

He sighed as the little elf nodded miserably. He wanted so much for this wizard to like him. "Yes master, it was an ancient loyalty spell along with a few others." Dobby was surprised when his new master smirked. "Well then, let's go embarrass your former masters shall we?" He saw the elf's worried look. "Don't worry, this will be fun!"

Dobby was beginning to wonder about his new master.

AN: SO... MUCH... RESEARCH!!! Believe me, no one is more delighted that this chapter is finished than me. All of the attractions our travelers visited are quite real and sound quite fun. However, since I live in America and know only basic information about GB I spent several days researching different places to go. I think I even managed to keep to attractions and events that would have been open in the eighties. Yay me!

Ok, update on the status of this story and my plans. The good news, I have the final chapter written, done, complete. The bad news, I have not one word of the next chapter written the chapters after that, yes, I have some, but not the next chapter. I do know what I want to do with it though. I also have half the first chapter of the NEXT story in my little series written. The hogwarts years will be called, Watching Over Myself. The first year will be close(ish) to cannon. After that, I'm making up my own plot. (grin)

Question answer time!

Regarding the 'glow' around Harry when Greyback had him...I had a few questions about this one, when that light shone around Harry when Greyback had him, that was his mother's defensive magic protecting him. It's even stronger now than it was in cannon because James actually loves Harry. And yes, it did happen to Harry in cannon, when his uncle Vernon attacked him his mother's protection gave the man quite a shock!

Regarding the brutality with which Greyback and his mate were killed... Have I mentioned that James is NOT one to make angry yet? Did you notice that little grease spot on my wall? That's the last person who really got him peeved... As for Moony, it was around the full moon and the man had been dreaming about killing Greyback since he found out who bit him. He knew that Harry's eyes were covered by then anyway...

Regarding future cannon events... I'm sorry, I cannot at this time confirm or deny your suspicions.

Regarding the fawn... Yes Greyback and his mate are the ones that injured it and his mother was just fine, only worried about her child! They are presumably living happily in a thicket somewhere...

Regarding Harry's hurt arm... It wasn't much more than a scratch and a bruise. I can't mention every single second of these people's lives you know, I have to pick and choose what to show and what not to...

Regarding Pairings... I am planning to introduce a puppy love romance (H/HR) in third year cannon. TEASER!!! The events of second year will have Harry needing many snuggles. (evil grin)

Regarding Sortings... I can promise it won't be Slytherin. Beyond that...

Regarding Updates... I had the first few chapters written out before I started posting.

Regarding Candice... HI CHICK!!! (waves)

Regarding time jumps... The 12th chapter will be titled glimpses of myself and the fourteenth will be more glimpses of myself. There's a few things I still need to focus on but after the next chapter we will be speeding things up a bit more.

To all my reviewers: THANK YOU! I can't believe how much attention this story is getting! I hope you like my newest offering and appreciate the research I did.

Fic Rec: An Aunt's Love by: Emma Lipardi, very good read. Also, Bungle in the Jungle: A Harry Potter Adventure by: Jburn is completed and more than worthy of a look. It's quite origional and smart.

Sare out!


	11. Protecting Myself

Now that J.K. has put down her dollies, can I have them? Please? No? Oh darn. They'll get dusty in her toy box though...

Chapter Eleven: Protecting Myself

As James had hoped, lots of people were still mingling around and many were talking quietly to the Malfoys when he burst through the double doors leading to the foyer. He walked straight up to the Malfoy patriarch and glared down his nose at him.

"I don't know what little joke you are trying to pull sir, by selling me this defective elf but I can assure you, I am not amused."

Lucius Malfoy, the normally cool, composed pure-blood, blanched. "Defective? What do you mean?"

"I mean the blasted spell you put on him to make him tell you my secrets! I guard my secrets just as closely as the rest of you. If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted the elf to spy on his new owner. Perhaps you did intend the elf to go to Lord Greengrass? I wonder what all you could have found out."

A rather heavy set man that reminded James just a bit too much of his overly large uncle turned fuchsia.

"Now see here Lucius, if that's what you intended, then you can just forget about our many years of friendship. Lord Potter is correct. We all guard our secrets closely. Even if this was just an oversight, it's a grave one indeed!"

Malfoy had resumed his cool appearance but his eyes looked frantic.

"I assure you, Lord Potter, this was simply an oversight. You have my most sincere apologies for this slight, no matter how unintended it might be. Please allow me some privacy to take the spell off the elf and I will bring him right back to you."

James stepped forward to block the older man from his small friend and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I'm in a bit of a hurry and would appreciate it if you just did it here and now. Besides, I've already had to heal Dobby once. Having to do so again would simply annoy me more I'm afraid."

Malfoy clapped a very false understanding smile on his face and nodded. "Of course I'll do it now. I'm afraid the elf was in the company of the goblins a little too long and they were a bit rough on him isn't that right Dobby?"

James looked the elf in the eye. "I order you to always tell me the truth."

Dobby looked ready to faint. "M-master Malfoy ordered Dobby to punish himself. Dobby was following master's orders."

James stepped further in front of the elf. "Take the spell off now, sir."

With a smile that had become an ugly grimace, the spell was taken off. "Elf, who is known as Dobby, I release you from all your duties to the Malfoy family and myself. Obey your new master with all your loyalty."

James smiled. "Thank you sir. We will be taking our leave now. I wish you all the rewards you so richly deserve." With a final bow, James pulled the elf to him and both disappeared in a flash of a portkey.

They landed on a beach. Dobby looked around in wonder. He had never seen anything so beautiful! In the distance there was a cozy looking house. He wondered if this was where master lived.

James smiled down at the awed little elf. "Welcome home. A few reminders, I will not tolerate you punishing yourself if I catch you doing it I'll do something you won't like at all. You won't have to do everything around the place either and there will be a few rooms I don't want you to enter. I'll take care of those. Also, I do enjoy cooking and I'm trying to teach my ward so once a week, we will cook dinner. Also, you will be given one day off a month. I'm sure you have some relations somewhere, go and see them. You're to let me know if anyone mistreats you here. Consider all of that an order." He grinned. "Now for the secrets. Inside that house over there is Harry Potter." He chuckled when the elf's mouth dropped. "Yes, _the_ boy-who-lived is my ward. He's five and quite a normal little child. He doesn't know he's famous and I don't want him to know for a while yet. However, because of his… unique circumstances, he is in quite a bit more danger than the average child. Don't ask me how, but I know you are a very good elf. I know that you care about him and I charge you to assist in his protection. Do nothing to harm him, however temporary while trying to protect him. Also, he is perfectly safe with me. I'll explain the logistics of it all later." He looked down at the wide-eyed little creature. "Get ready for a shock."

Of course, Harry was more than delighted with the elf and had insisted on helping to decorate his little room right next to the laundry. For Dobby, it was love at first sight towards the child and for the first few days, the house-elf was one step from falling to his knees and worshiping the small boy. Remus and Sirius, especially Remus, treated the little elf with respect and quickly got used to the unorthodox little customs James had when it came to elves. James had conjured a third child-sized chair and insisted that Dobby eat meals with the family.

Things seemed to be settling down when Remus finally received an owl. The bird seemed to be trained for violence, seeing as it attacked the poor man the second it saw him. Remus seemed pleased enough to see it though.

"It's from my great aunt Mariel."

With eager fingers, he detached the missive from the owl and broke open the seal. As he read the letter, his smile took a decidedly downward slope but after finishing, he nodded, folded the letter carefully and tucked it into his pocket.

"I'll tell you later."

James just nodded and went back to helping Harry make mini vegetable pizzas; it was Dobby's night off.

Later that evening, after Harry had been safely tucked into bed, Remus brought out the letter.

_Dear Creature,_

_How dare you disturb my house-hold with your inane ramblings about protecting a child. Who in their right minds would trust you with the welfare of a minor? It's probably just as freakish as you are. _

_However, because of your mother, God rest her poor soul, I will answer your question. The spell you asked about was never mine. I borrowed the manuscript from your great uncle. I, of course, returned it to him as soon as the spell was placed on your sister._

_If you remember anything what-so-ever of what it's like to be a part of the noble Hargraves clan you will never attempt to contact me again. Now that your alliance with the Potter clan is dissolved, the Hargraves family and yourself have no further reason to communicate do we? _

_Sincerely,_

_Mariel W. Hargraves_

Upon finishing the letter, James looked over at Remus and shook his head. "Why is it we all have horrible relatives?"

"I dunno. Maybe it's a marauder curse or something."

Sirius snorted and looked over at Moony. "So who's this uncle of yours and why haven't I ever heard of him?"

"Because he's completely insane! We never know what the man will do next! He's an avid collector of spell books and has a record of all the 'lost' spells. I'm sure he has a lot to do with them staying lost. The man's been around forever, or so it seems. There's not one member of the family that can remember him as a young man, much less as a child."

James, who had been growing more and more alarmed as Remus spoke and was sporting a look of dread on his face asked, "What's his name?"

"Well, I don't know his real name. Formally he's known as lord Hargraves but informally he's known as Ivan the insane."

James sighed and began massaging his temples. "Damn, I was afraid you were talking about him. Do you have any idea just _how_ much of a nut-cake that man truly is?!"

Remus just looked at James for a moment and blinked. "How in Merlin's name do you know my uncle?"

James shook his head in disbelief; he still wasn't quite over the shock. "Believe it or not, Moony, he's the one that taught me to destroy horcrux."

Remus stood up, shocked. "How, in Merlin's name, does he know how to do that!?"

"Very simple answer, my dear Moony, he has one of his own. From what he told me, in his youth, he had one mortal enemy. According to him, this fellow was a really bad sort, made him out to be even worse than Voldemort. He killed him in cold blood and made a horcrux. He told me that this man was the worst of the worst and that he did the world a favor by killing him. Why not use the death to his advantage?" James snorted. "Never mind that he was using the darkest magic in all existence to make the thing."

"One more question, how did you convince him to teach you?"

James shuddered and cast his haunted looking gaze over to Remus. "Don't. ask. It wasn't pleasant. Anyway, I want to leave as soon as possible. The sooner we get that spell the better I'll feel about Harry."

When Harry awoke the next morning, he expected to have yet another semi-quiet day with his papa and uncles. He did not expect Remus to be kneeling down next to his bottom dresser drawer packing some of his day clothes into a medium sized duffle bag.

Harry sat up and blinked in confusion. Uncle Moony didn't seem upset, in fact, he was humming a little tune under his breath as he moved on from day clothes and selected two semi-formal outfits.

"Uncle Moony?"

Remus looked over and smiled at the child.

"Good morning Harry! We found that spell of protection we were looking for. Isn't that great? I'm afraid we'll have to go on a little trip though, that's why I'm packing your things."

Harry perked up at this, "Yay a trip! Where are we going?"

Remus looked uncomfortable for a moment.

"Sorry sweet-heart, but you're going to be staying with the Grangers. The place we're going is not exactly kid friendly." James had suddenly appeared in the room, leaning casually against the door frame, startling Remus almost out of his wits.

He shot James a disparaging look. "Do that again and I'm gonna start calling you cat-boy."

"Sure thing, dog-breath."

The excitement had quickly melted off Harry's face when he had been told he couldn't come and he was quickly approaching tears.

"You're leaving me! You promised you wouldn't ever!"

James shot Remus a look that any grown-up would know to be, _uh oh_.

"No, no little one. We'd never leave you!" He quickly scooped up the upset child. "We're just going on a little trip to get that spell we need and it would be more than a little bit dangerous for you to come with us this time."

Harry sniffed, getting nearer to tears by the second. "But wouldn't it be dangwus for you too?"

James gently rubbed the child's back. "Nah, I'm a fully qualified wizard. You've seen what I can do. You, on the other hand are just a sweet little boy that bad people would just love to gobble up. I know one day you'll be strong, maybe even stronger than me and I promise to teach you but for now, this trip is too dangerous for you."

"Noo, Papa please, I want to stay with you! You can protect me! You've done it before!"

"Yes, and you came out of the experience hurt and traumatized. I've no wish to repeat that." He shifted Harry in his arms and gave him a very stern look. "No arguments Harry, no buts. I won't be changing my mind. You're going to the Grangers. I'm sure you and Mione will-"

"No! I won't go! You can't make me! I'll… I'll sneak into your suitcase! You won't be able to bandon me then!"

James made a slight _oof_ sound as the child threw himself into his chest and clutched as tight as he could to his Papa. "Harry, I'm _not_ going to abandon you. We are going on this trip so that we can_protect_ you and we will be back in a few days. We all love you very, very much and we would _never ever_ leave you. Please believe me."

Harry just tried to clutch tighter and shook his head. "Nuh uh."

Seven hours later, a very unhappy group of wizards appeared at the Grangers doorstep. Harry had spent all day shifting between an angry five-year old, prone to tantrums and an especially clingy little boy, scared to death he was about to be abandoned. He had made packing much more of a chore than it should have been and had, on more than one occasion, dumped out an almost packed suitcase onto the floor and tried to stuff himself inside. Finally, James had lost his temper and yelled at the boy to "making a bloody nuisance of himself and go to the corner". Harry had burst into tears, claimed that his Papa didn't love him anymore and stalked off to his room. James had found him half an hour later slumped over in the corner asleep, cheeks tearstained. He had woken up as soon as James picked him up, threw his arms around his neck and begun to cry once more begging him not to leave him. After James had gently tried to explain again, pleading with the child to understand, Harry had grown silent. He hadn't said a word since, nor had he eaten all day, he had refused to. The child was convinced he was being abandoned and nothing any of them could do would convince him otherwise.

James gently shifted the upset child in his arms enough to ring the doorbell. Harry had gone past hysterical ten minutes ago and was hiccupping badly as he pressed himself as hard as he could against his Papa.

Sirius had already popped by to see Helen and Dan to make sure it wasn't an inconvenience on them to have Harry stay over a few days.

James gently ran his fingers through the boy's baby soft hair. "Harry please calm down. I'll be back before you know it and you'll be able to talk to me every night and you can call me whenever you need me."

The little child sniffled and looked up for a moment. "I can? But you don't have a phone."

James dug in his pocket and slipped the child a shiny mirror. "No, but we have something better. This is a magic mirror and I'm gonna have the other one. Whenever you need to talk to me, just call out for me and I'll hear you. I really don't know what I'm getting into here going to see this guy so there might be times I can't answer right away but as soon as I can, I will just call for you through the mirror and you'll hear me. When we talk, the mirrors will be like tiny tellies and you will be able to see me too. I didn't want to mention it earlier because I only got the things working a very few minutes before we left."

Harry looked up at his papa and with a tiny nod, slipped the mirror into his pocket. "I can call you every night?"

"If you want, I'll even tell you bed-time stories."

The child nodded and leaned his head against his guardian's shoulder, crying all day had made him tired. "And you won't be gone long; you'll come back?"

James hugged the child tight. "Wild dragons couldn't keep me away. I'll be back the very soonest I can."

"Pinky swear?" The child held out his tiny hand and extended his smallest finger.

James chuckled softly. "Pinky swear." In the ancient tradition of children all around the world, he intertwined his pinky with the child's and they shook on it.

"I did plan on something fun for you and the Grangers to do while I'm gone. Do you remember when we went to Babbacombe, the place where everything was tiny?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, I have some tickets for everyone, except you, you get in free, and I received a letter the other day saying that your figurine was ready to be visited. I thought you might want to go see yourself." James just couldn't resist a chuckle at the irony.

All in all, it was a not entirely miserable little boy that hugged his papa and uncles goodbye and collected quite a few good-night kisses and just because hugs and kisses as his little family prepared to leave. James did have one final surprise and had called Dobby to the Grangers to be Harry's special bodyguard. The little house-elf was quite capable of making himself invisible and had very powerful magic all his own. Also, Harry liked the little guy a lot. The little boy did start crying as soon as his family popped out of sight and for a while, couldn't be consoled. Hermione, especially was upset that her bestest friend was so very sad and she stayed by him trying to make him feel better.

The only thing that James could think or say upon arriving at Ivan Hargrave's gothic castle was, "Cliché much?" He wasn't wrong, the place was the classic representation of Dracula's castle.

"At least it isn't storming, then it would _really_ be ridiculous."

The three friends had appeared at the border of the apperation and portkey boundaries and so had a long hike ahead of them up the mountain. To break up the monotony, James kept humming, "The song that never ends." Padfoot and Moony were about ready to AK him by the time they had reached the castle. He had annoyed them with that tune before.

In reality, James was dreading returning to the castle. While it was true, that the man had taught him literally everything he knew about the creation and destruction of horcrux, he had demanded what he thought would be a heavy price and ultimately, turned out to be his worst enemy, aside from Voldemort, of course. He would never forget what that man had done, no matter how much he tried.

Remus was looking up at the intimidating and massive doors and wasn't a bit surprised when lightning flashed overhead. "Uncle really knows how to make a house inviting looking too. Shall we knock?"

James, who's eyes had gone a dark, focused looking green that the Marauders had rarely seen, nodded and took a very small mallet from a hook in the door. He reared back and with all his strength, slammed the head of the mallet to a very small metal plate imbedded in the door. The sound it produced was almost deafening and reverberated around the castle and the small valley beyond. James ignored his wide-eyed compatriots and placed the slightly bent mallet back into its' holder. "He can't say I didn't knock loud enough _this_ time."

The first time James had visited Ivan he had stood outside in the rain and the chill for three hours repeatedly 'knocking'. James had no intention of letting the old man get the upper hand this time.

Sure enough, as the tone faded, the three friends could hear something grinding as the doors opened the barest crack.

"Do you have to knock down my castle knocking on my door? My ears will still be ringing next week!"

Motioning for the older men to be silent, James stepped forward. "You have my apologies, I was told that should I wish to gain your attention, I needed to be very direct with my intentions."

"There's direct and then there's command; which one did you intend?"

"I come to ask for your assistance, thus, it would be unwise of me to command you in any fashion. My name is James Potter; these are my friends and trusted allies, Remus Lupin, your erstwhile nephew, and Sirius Black."

The grinding sound returned and the great doors opened just wide enough for a lovely young lady to slip through. She was very small and delicate looking, her hair was blonde and very long; she wore a white robe that came down to trail on the ground and set off her pale, almost translucent skin and her eyes were the deepest blue, only with no pupils. She peered at them through sightless eyes then nodded to the party.

"You have many secrets and all of you have protected your thoughts from me. What boon do you ask of me?"

James nudged Remus and nodded. "We ask only for the spell that my mother used to protect my sister from my newly changed werewolf form. We need the spell for a young child that has come into our care."

"For Harry Potter you mean?" She paused while an astonished look appeared on the older Marauders' faces and the barest look of amusement came over her. "Enter then lord Black, disgraced Hargraves and he who is not James Potter. Welcome to my home."

It was only James' hard-eyed looks towards the other two that kept them from asking questions.

Silence fell as the young woman led them through a virtual maze of passage ways, up and down grand staircases and finally into a great hall of sorts where a small, slightly oily looking man with a face as stiff looking as plastic sat in a throne-like chair. As soon as the companions came within sight of the man, the young woman gave a shudder then a sigh as she slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Remus just couldn't help it; he had to know. "Just what's up with that girl?"

Lord Hargraves smiled, it had the effect of making him look just a bit mad. "Oh that? That's one of the lost spells. It did so much evil that the memory of it was purged from the wizarding world. The few wizards that did remember, made the Imperious curse in an attempt to replicate the effects of that spell. There is no fighting against that one, no chance of escaping. It allows complete control over the slave, as you saw, one may even speak and see through the victim. Right now, I have no need of it so I'll just put her away till later. I shouldn't like to appear a messy host because I didn't put my toy away." As he said this, the girl woke, arose and silently padded to over to a single shelf. She lifted herself onto the shelf then collapsed, like a puppet who's strings had been cut.

"Don't worry about it; it has no will of its' own. It's a living doll that just happens to have memories. I really don't know why my toys unsettle my guests so." He shrugged, as if truly perplexed. "I must admit I find your request fascinating. It's not so often I get guest with such interesting histories:" He turned to Sirius. "a man falsely convicted by his own government and managed to come out of the worst of Azkaban with his sanity intact, to Remus, an actual blood relative that I don't instantly hate, a rarity indeed, to James, and finally, a man who claims to be James Potter but truly has the strangest fate I've ever seen. Are you aware that you live outside of fate, that time herself can't bear to look at you? Your story, I must know."

"I'm afraid that won't happen, lord Hargraves. My memories and my history remains my own. I won't share it with anyone."

"I think you will change your mind soon. Oh! But where are my manners? You must be tired and hungry from your journey. Please, rest and eat; in the morning we can haggle over the price of information."

They watched as the girl gave a little shudder, hopped off the shelf and padded over to them. "This doll will take you to your room you will be served in whatever way you desire while here."

James bowed respectfully. "Then we shall partake of your hospitality and trust you to provide us with safe lodgings."

The little man twitched while the girl crumpled to the floor. "Who told you to say that?" He didn't look angry but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Just a friend my lord."

The girl rose to her feet once more. "If you wish to be that way, fine, your safety is assured. Please, let me show you to your rooms."

They were given three large bedrooms with a sort of common room connecting them. Once the door had closed and the poor girl had left, the older Marauders rounded on James.

"You could have warned us about him you know!"

"Hush! Don't say another word yet." He withdrew his wand and shot a bright purple spell at each of the paintings in the room then after a long series of chants, a set of dark crimson runes soaked into the wall.

"_Now_ you can talk. I didn't warn you about him because I don't even like _thinking_ of the git. Yes, he's just as bad as you think he is and insane to boot. Luckily, he's perfectly happy kidnapping young girls from time to time from different local villages and staying put in his castle. I did tell you to let me take the lead and thank you for listening. That spell is worse than you know, he had a brown haired girl when I was here and she literally broke from the spell. It takes an extra toll on the body with it being controlled and tortured like that. Most can only survive for five years at the most before they die; that's what he told me anyway.

I'm telling you two right now, do not say anything that's supposed to be secret out of these rooms and if we leave, not until I've re-set the wards in here. Try to let me do most of the talking. The less he even notices you lot are here the better for you. Don't be alone anywhere. I'm clearing a space later on and moving the beds in here. It's fine to use the loo in these rooms but otherwise… no. Whatever you do, whatever you say, never, ever mention that you want something from him. He's like those evil genies from the legends. He loves granting wishes but if you ask him for something, unless you're really clever or lucky, he could end up having your soul in exchange. If he wanted to, this guy could have made Voldemort look like a little girl in pigtails taking ballet lessons."

AN: I am sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. The truth is... it took me a while to figure out just want I wanted to do here. I must thank my good friend and sounding board, K-chan for her advice and rather devious ideas; without her, Ivan Hargraves would possibly never have popped into my twisted little head. Once I (finally) got around to writing about the guy, he proceeded to attempt a hostile take-over. I'd have to write three more chapters than I had planned just to get all my ideas out. I think we came to a good compromise. Odds are, after I finish this story, I will do a shortish side-story detailing 17 year old Harry Potter's first dealings with the man. I really, really like this character even though he is making me add an extra chapter. We shall finish with him for, this story, in the next chapter, Fighting for Myself, the new one that Ivan Hargraves forced me to come up with.

Yes, I did give a nod to another fandom in this chapter. A nice cuddly chibi-Hary hug to those of you that guess correctly.

Answers to your questions:

Marquerida... please excuse me while I go scream. I knew it happened in the early eighties I just didn't remember when. In 1986 I was five so I hope I can be excused. Also, I tend to forget that Harry is six months and some change older than me. Ya caught me.

Bill: I've seen that method used before but I really wanted to do what I did in this chapter. I love crazy evil guys!

ReadingRed: Siri and Remus are the same age as in cannon and 'James' (older Harry) is 23.

wolfmasterz: The diary horcrux is distroyed. James will probably try to do something about the giant snake though...

I do run everything through a spell check and I am working on editing all my existing chapters and re-posting them on After I am done with Tcoms, I will upload my corrections.

Dawg,: There are a few, very few, other stories out there with the same idea as I had but they are either unfinshed, have gone soo far an away from cannon (Harry is evil) it's ludicrious, or are fraught with the world against Dumbledore plots, that or it's just plain bad writing. I tend to satisfy myself with the all too cute, Snape or Sirius raises Harry stories. There are a number of good ones on my C2. The only one that might be what you are looking for is Harry Potter and the Dance of the Thestral by Hudly. It's a little hard to get into but it is definatly the closest one to mine I have found. She has cool ideas too.

Shadow Weaver 11: Neville will be appearing soon.

Once again I thank all my readers and reviewers for their kind support. Everytime I check my story page and have a new review it makes me smile. I should have the next chapter out much sooner than I had this one. After this next chapter, I have good chunks of the others written and the entire last chapter done.

Fic Rec:

I have quite a few this time, most of them being humor.

First of all, Reactions to the Legend by Amber-chick is quite funny and worth a look.

DisobedienceWriter has become one of my most favorite authors; stories like Marauders Blessing, Bad Week at the Wizamagot and others have made me laugh louder and longer than a full DVD of my favorite comedian. This guy has tallent!

Coven of the Rose by C. Rose is another funny one. Kudos to the author for the Sluggy nod.

And finally, Whelp I&II are just too cute not to mention. This is a Snape raises Harry story and my favorite since Mine was written.

Sara out!


	12. Fighting for Myself

Chapter Twelve: Fighting for Myself

Helen Granger was concerned. Little Harry Potter, the boy whom, almost overnight, had become the light in her little girl's eyes, had only picked at his dinner and absolutely refused to let go of the small mirror in his hand. Poor Hermione had tried several times to cheer him up but the normally happy, slightly shy little boy had turned her away every time. He was growing more and more upset as bedtime approached but he still hadn't received his promised call from his uncle.

She had managed to coax him into the tub and was forced to leave soon after as the child had just sat in the tub, shivering. James had mentioned to her that the Dursleys had made normal things like baths as unpleasant as possible. She silently hoped they were having a miserable time of it.

Little Harry was quietly sitting across from his friend finishing a mug of coco when the mirror vibrated in his hand.

"Papa? Papa James?" He held the mirror up to his face and peered inside. Slowly, an image came into focus from the swirling colors. "Papa!"

James' image smiled at the boy. "Hello little one. Are you being a good boy for the Grangers?"

"Yes Papa, I'm still sad that I can't be with you though."

"It's much, much too dangerous for you here. You're a lot better off staying with the Grangers for a little while."

"Is it dangerous for you too Papa?"

"Not overly much, no. I know how to deal with this guy. But that's not why I called. According to my watch, it's just about your bedtime. Since we're starting a new book tonight, I thought Hermione might want to listen." James heard an excited, "Oh please Sir!" chirped somewhere off to the side.

"You two get comfortable then. I'll wait."

He didn't have to wait long as soon the two children were snuggled down in their bunk bed. Hermione had cheerfully moved her collection of stuffed animals earlier in the day to make room for her friend. He read the story of a little boy named Eustace and a little girl named Pole that found their way into the magical world of Narnia and were sent off to rescue a prince from a terrible witch. The children were asleep before he finished the second chapter.

Sirius grinned at him from the couch. "Now that I've had my story read to me…"

"Oh stuff it you!"

"You get some sleep and let Remus and I take turns keeping watch tonight. It's you he's interested it anyway."

James looked over at Remus. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah don't worry about it. If our insane host comes for a visit we'll know. I'm a little worried about you anyway. Sirius grew up a black and thus had occumency drilled into him from a very young age, I'm a wolf once a month thus my mind isn't that easy to crack but you, you told us yourself that you never learned the art."

"Yeah but I've got this." He held up a small, very old looking Ivory pendent. "I got it off him back when I killed the ass. It protects the mind from invasion. I only wear it when I have to though, like when I met Albus for the first time in this time-line."

"Ah. Well, you just go on to sleep then. Something tells me you're gonna need your rest."

"Something tells me you're spot on. Goodnight you two and thanks."

Very soon, he was asleep. Remus looked over the sleeping young man worriedly.

"Do you think he'll be alright?"

"I hope so but you can tell he is not happy to be here again."

"Easily. What do you think happened?"

"I dunno, but it must have been bad, even for him."

_He sat down with his newspaper and for a moment, watched that which he could not enjoy. Young lovers were having a picnic just a few yards away from him while romped around in the park behind him. A young woman with red hair and a pair of sunglasses sat down beside him._

"_Harry."_

"_Ginny. How is everyone?"_

"_Mum's worried about you but we're all doing fine."_

"_You said you had some information for me? How did you get your message to me anyway? I'm not easy to find these days."_

"_I do. Harry, you never should have crossed Lord Ivan Hargraves; now you'll have to pay the price."_

_Harry blinked in confusion. "Wha, how do you know about him? I didn't even tell Mione about him!"_

"_Say goodbye Harry."_

"_Ginny?"_

_She whispered something and her glasses slipped off. She had no pupils. _

"_Ginny! He got to you! Stupi-"_

"_Too late boy, it's done."_

_He watched in horror as she and everyone within his sight, exploded._

James woke with a start and glared into the darkness. "Cross me this time, and I'll kill you… again."

He never noticed concerned brown eyes glimmering in the darkness.

The night passed quickly and it seemed they had only blinked when morning came. The slave girls served them a wonderful breakfast then led them, after the men had equipped themselves with 'supplies' from their bags, dragon hide vests, boots and a few other handy knick-knacks, to the main hall again.

Their host gave a little bow as the poor girl collapsed in a heap on her shelf. "Good morning honored guests. It would be my hope that you all slept well; I would be confident in this but the spells put on the rooms prevented me from knowing. I thought we were going to be friendly to each other." He pouted. "Friends don't ward against friends."

"Call me paranoid but I usually cast those spells before I go to sleep. It wasn't just because of you; I don't appreciate scrying very much either."

"Ah, well, I guess I can accept that as an explanation. I still don't like it though."

"That's very kind of you lord Hargraves."

"I know. Well then, let's get down to the negotiating. You mentioned you wanted a certain spell?" His eyes lit up with greed for a moment. "I'm afraid my prices are rather steep. You see, I have spells that have been forgotten by the wizarding world, old spells, powerful spells, spells that make today's wizards look like little children playing magician."

"I'm sure we can come to some sort of an agreement."

"Oh I think we can."

Lord Hargraves bowed politely to Sirius and Remus and led James to the other side of the room. "Yes, yes I'm sure we can. I could ask for anything you know, all your memories of fine summer days, or perhaps most the memories concerning tweedle dee and tweedle dum over there. Yes, that would be amusing. I could take years off your life or I could order you to serve me for… a time."

James tensed. "I'm very aware of the sort of prices you ask lord Hargraves and request only that I am able to guide young Harry Potter until he comes of age. Sirius and Remus, while not guardians, are very heavily involved in the child's life and it would be very inconvenient if I were to suddenly not remember them. I have an inkling that you know very well why the child needs such careful protection and the roll that he will most likely play in the future of the wizarding world."

Lord Hargraves chuckled, "I planned to ask for none of those things. To put it quite frankly, you intrigue me. The shields in your mind are not natural ones; there's a different… taste to them, a taint of magic other than your own. There are very few items in the world that can shield a human mind as effectively as decades of training can and I thought I knew the locations of them all. You, the only person I have ever seen in my long years of life that has managed to step out of fate's, hold appear to be weaving a new pattern. You also seem to be very powerful magically. You are without a doubt the most interesting person to ever wander across my doorstep. I want to know how powerful you are, just what your name really is and how you managed to step outside of fate's hold. You seem determined to keep your secrets so I am quite determined to know them."

"I'm afraid my secrets need to remain my own. This is quite cliché but… If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Lord Hargraves grinned widely. "I'd like to see you try. What I propose is this, a wizard's duel between the two of us, no seconds. If you win I will give you the spell, allow you three hours alone in my private library to learn whatever spell you choose and you will answer my three questions, truthfully. If you lose, I will take two precious things from you. I will have the item you are using to guard your mind from me and I will to take over the rearing of young Mr. Potter. You are welcome, of course to assist me but he will be under my contro-."

"No! No dice; not happening! There is no way on this green earth I would allow you anywhere _near_ a five year old child, much less, that one!"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice. You are not leaving this castle without dueling me. If you lose to me, you are not strong enough to train such a boy. I have reasons of my own for wanting that self stylized dark lord of yours dead and rotting. I will not allow such a delicate procedure as training the one to defeat him to fall into the hands of anyone weaker than me. Even if you do not agree to it, I will rip the location of the boy out of your mind and send one of my servants for him. It will take you hours to climb down this mountain after all. Don't worry; I have no intention of harming the lad or turning him dark. There are, however, lesser control spells that will give me a strong influence over how he lives."

Shaking with rage and promising himself that he would go soul searching the first chance he got, James finally agreed. "Fine! If you win you can try and take him but I warn you, you won't like the consequences nor will you have him for long! This is a human life you are talking about, a little boy! You can't bargain with his fate like it's a poker chip! I'll play your little game, Hargraves, but you better give me a damn site more than three measly hours in your private library _when_ I win!"

"My, my, aren't we in a tizzy. What do you request, Mr. Potter."

"In addition to what I asked for, I want a wizard's oath that you will never bother Harry Potter, you won't try to control him or influence his life or death in any way. You will allow me to take a book of my choosing with me and re-introduce it to the wizarding world. I also want an oath that you will release your slaves from now on before their bodies give out after three years!"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Now how did you know about that?"

"I know a lot more about you than you think."

"We shall see. The duel will commence tomorrow afternoon. If you or any of your little friends are seen attempting to leave, we will simply begin the duel where you stand, using my dolls."

"I'm not running away and you are _not_ to use those poor women in our duel! You will swear an oath before we begin that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin will not be affected by the duel. They will watch and that is it."

"That is fine. A small study area has appeared in your rooms along with access to some of my books. I must go prepare for the morrow. You will be taken back to your rooms now."

James didn't say a word; he just turned away from the nobleman and allowed himself to be led back to his rooms.

Once there, he warded the quarters again and without saying a word to anyone, withdrew his mirror.

"Dobby! Dobby the house elf!"

"Master James! You has called your Dobby?"

"Yes. Listen to me. If anyone calls you tomorrow, myself, Sirius or Remus and says the word, sanctuary, you are to take Harry, Hermione and the Grangers straight to Hogwarts and ask Headmaster Dumbledore for protection. Do you understand?"

"Dobby will do as master wants, if masters James, Sirius or Remus calls Dobby and tells him sanctuary, Dobby is to take the little master, the young miss and the noble Grangers to the great headmaster Dumbledore and ask him to be protecting them he is."

"Very good. Do it quickly if we call Dobby because you'll only have a matter of minutes, if that to collect them."

"Dobby will be collecting them, master. Dobby is being honored for being asked to do such an important thing!"

"Just look after them my friend. Have you seen anyone suspicious around?"

"No master James, only muggles walking their dogs and those strange things you call automobiles. Dobby does keep scaring Ms. Grangies cat though."

"Good. Please continue to watch them then. Don't forget to eat and sleep though."

"Thank you master James!"

"You're a good elf, Dobby. I'll see you soon."

"Yes master, Dobby will be welcoming his master home very soon he will! And master will have gotten what the needs to keep the little master safe and sound!"

"That's right my friend, one way or another, I will."

Sirius waited until James had put away the mirror before he pounced. "Alright, what happened? What's got you set off like this?"

"Ivan, that's what! He wants Harry!"

"_What!?_And you didn't try and AK him!?"

"I would, believe me but right now he can't be killed. I'll be fixing that tonight."

"Hu?"

"He's like Riddle, horcrux maker." He watched their reactions. "Hey, I_told_ you he taught me how to destroy the things! Of course he knew how to make them! As we young people like to say, duh!"

"Oi, I'm only a few years older."

"Yes… but I traveled back in time."

"He has a point, Padfoot. James, I saw you last night, you said if Ivan tried to mess with you again you'd kill him. What happened last time?"

James sighed. "Long story short, he asked for something I wasn't willing to give him so I found out about the horcrux and blackmailed him with it to get what I needed back. He… wasn't pleased. He used the controlling curse on Ginny and she blew herself sky high with one of his spells along with just about everyone else that happened to be in the muggle park at the time. I got a message that he would enjoy 'getting to know the rest of my friends'. He took priority over even Voldemort then, I killed him and I rather enjoyed it. That was the first time I didn't regret killing someone."

"Damn. What was it he wanted?"

"Part of my soul."

"What!?"

"He said it was for some purification ritual or something."

"Even_Voldemort_ doesn't play with souls other than his own!"

"Yeah. I couldn't… it was horrible. Even after he gave it back, I've never really felt right since then."

The day and night flew by before anyone was ready for it, it was time to duel.

"Are you sure you can beat him?"

"Even if I can't, I've got some insurance." He smirked and patted his pocket. "If I lose, make sure you contact Dobby."

"No problem."

James shook hands with his friends and entered the dueling chamber. He wasn't surprised by anything he saw there, it was, of course, just like the last time he was in there. The walls were black and coated with a substance that absorbed spells, no matter how powerful, the floor was white and had small springs underneath with just a bit of padding over it. The ceiling was two stories high and the room was about the size of a muggle gymnasium.

Ivan was standing in the center. "James, so good of you to show up."

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere."

"I trust you know the rules?"

"I've dueled enough times, yes, nothing lethal."

"I should warn you, this room has interesting capabilities."

"Then why are we in here?"

"I thought it would be fun!"

"Cut the crap and duel."

Lord Hargraves lost his grin. "As you wish, Mr. Potter." He waved his hand in the air and a lit counter appeared. "Begin when it reaches zero."

"What no pretty bows?"

"I'll bow when it's over."

"You won't be able to."

Two…

One…

Zero!

They both whirled on the spot and disappeared. They reappeared on opposite sides of the room. James noticed a slightly peeved look on the other man's face as they glared at each other. Knowing it was about the apparition, James grinned and shot the first spell of the day. Ivan popped away before the spell could hit.

It slammed into the wall and caused that whole section of the wall to ripple with the strength of the spell.

A voice came from behind him.

"That could have ripped my head off."

James spun away just in time as a bright yellow spell zinged into the space he had just occupied.

He reappeared. "I like to think big."

He turned and shot a spell behind him that caused Ivan to yelp and dive to the ground. James had correctly guessed where Ivan would pop up.

In an attempt to press his advantage, James sent a barrage of more than slightly nasty spells at his opponent. Ivan quickly rolled out of the way and shot a bone breaker curse at James.

It barely grazed his right side. James winced and clapped a hand to his ribs as he felt them crack.

Having used the distraction of pain as his cover, Ivan quickly rose to his feet and spun away emerging on the other side of the room. "That's first blood I do believe."

James soothed the pain of his injury with a healing spell. "I'm not bleeding."

"Ivan shot a cutting curse at his opponent. "Details, details, you will be soon."

James appeared directly behind Ivan and stabbed the man with a conjured knife. "You first."

Suddenly, the room began to melt and darken.

Both duelists leapt away while the change happened.

James cocked an eyebrow. "A maze hu, oh that's original."

Ivan enchanted a stone into a rock golem and used it to distract James.

"It serves."

James decided to bring out the big guns and used a spell that Ivan had taught him.

"What!? How… how did you know that spell?" Ivan was forced to retreat and take a hit from James as he escaped the explosions of his own creation."

"A little owl told me."

James pressed his advantage and through a series of spells, hexes, conjurations and transfigurations, slowly wore the older wizard down.

James stood with his wand aimed right at Lord Hargrave's jugular.

"Do you yield?"

Ivan grinned. "Of course not."

The man faded away into nothing as the dueling room changed yet again. This time it was a muggle battlefield.

James gasped in pain as he was hit with a stream of molten lava. He quickly erected an ice barrier around himself and dulled the pain. His back and left arm would be very stiff.

"Do be careful of the landmines, Potter. We wouldn't want you to blow your head off, would we?"

James was finished speaking. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed his prey. Slowly, his jaw began to elongate and his skin grew cold and scaly.

Stunned, Lord Hargraves could only stand and gape at the surprising transformation.

James rolled his neck as it lengthened and wiggled his rather dangerous looking right toe as his shoes and clothing dissolved.

Thunder had arrived.

Parseltongues always had some kind of reptile as their animagus form. James happened to have a dinosaur, a mega raptor, as his. He stood at thirteen feet tall, twenty-five feet long, his arms were short stubs but his feet were killing machines. Razor sharp claws, more than a foot long, took the place of his big toes. He was fast, could run faster than a horse and had knife-like teeth in his dangerous maw.

Here was the true killer of Voldemort. James hadn't killed him with a spell. He had eaten him.

Because of the difference in intelligence and temperament, James had a difficult time controlling the beast. He wondered idly if the count was on the menu for today.

Before Ivan could get over the shock he was feeling, he was attacked. The man screamed as the beast slashed his tender skin with his claws. He fell to the ground with Thunder on top of him.

Lord Hargraves could feel the prick of the monster's teeth on his neck as another claw punctured a rib. He gasped in pain and raised his wand, aiming at the creature's chest. A flash of light and it was over.

James sat panting on an unconscious Lord Hargraves' chest looking rather surprised. He shook himself and got off the man.

"Huh, must have changed me back."

He relieved the man of his wand and wasn't surprised when the room went back to normal.

Sirius and Remus rushed into the room, eyes wide.

"So_that_ was Thunder, hu?"

James smirked. "Cool, hu?"

Remus just shook his head. "Try the scariest thing I have ever seen in my life!"

"Well, that too." James sighed. "As fun as spending several weeks going through this guys library looking for that spell would be, I'm gonna heal him so he can keep us his end of the bargain."

"Yah know, for a dinosaur, Thunder really isn't that big so why the name?"

James snorted. "Lightning bolt scar, ice mice for brains."

"Oh."

Remus just chuckled. "Promise me one thing James."

"What?"

"You won't use Thunder in a prank on us."

A laugh. "If I could have, I already would have. Thunder is a killer. If I bring him out, I have to be planning to either kill or hurt someone very badly. Unless he has a clear target, it gets really hard to control him. Don't get me wrong, he has his uses but he isn't exactly something to entertain at parties."

"I wonder what snake-face thought of him."

"When I brought Thunder out he didn't have much time to think much of anything. I might have given him enough time for, oh crap, before it was over."

Sirius shuddered. "_Bad_ way to go there."

James just smiled.

Ivan started to come around.

"Wha?"

James stood and prodded the man in his newly mended side. "You lost. Get your slaves to heal you the rest of the way. Have one of them call us when you're well enough to finish with our agreement."

None of them gave the man enough time to answer before they were out of the room and on their way to their assigned quarters. Sirius wasn't a bad healer and James needed some help. All those years with Mooney's furry little problem paid off sometimes.

James was as right as rain by nightfall. He took great delight in telling Dobby most of the danger had passed and spoke about an hour with Harry. The little boy had been so excited to see his figurine standing alongside Merlin, he had insisted that Hermione get a figurine too and that it be placed beside him. He had giggled and said that it looked like he was an apprentice to the great wizard.

Once more, James read the two a chapter from the Narnia book and Mrs. Granger had deactivated the mirror once the children were asleep.

Harry had been delighted when James had told him most of what he had to do was over and that he should be home tomorrow or the next day at the latest.

It was late afternoon when they were finally called for.

Ivan still wasn't completely healed and was sitting swathed in blankets in the library.

"You cheated. It was supposed to be a wizard's duel, not a claws and teeth duel."

"Show me a muggle that can change into an animal under his own power and I will concede your point."

Ivan pouted. "What was that thing anyway?"

James smiled. "I'm not saying. Looking it up will give you something to do while you recover."

"Meanie."

"I've been called worse. Do you want to ask your questions first or give me the spell and let me pick a book?"

"I want my answers."

"Fine." James sat down across from the man. "Ask away."

Ivan nodded and steepled his hands. "For my first question, who are you really? There is no record of a James Potter, aside from the boy's father, anywhere in England or Australia."

James shook his head and snorted. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that one. Alright, fine. I'm Harry Potter." At Ivan's gob smacked look he continued. "In the original time-line I grew up weak and neglected by my relatives. Coming back in time wasn't planned but once I got here I decided I was going to do something to change fate."

"How did you come back?"

"Some of Voldemort's death eaters made a portal to try and kill me when I was five. I found out about it and decided to stop them. As I was fighting I was accidentally shoved in. The portal created another dimension which is why I am able to act freely."

"You knew me. How did you know me and how do you have my amulet?"

"Voldemort used horcrux. I had to kill him and eventually heard about you. We made a deal that was severely in your favor and you taught me how to destroy them. The question about the amulet is your fourth question and I am not bound to answer."

"You never liked me, I could tell. We have dueled before, I gather."

"Hargraves, I do not wish us to become enemies. However, I am sure you can guess how I got the amulet and exactly what happened between us."

"You found out about it! You killed me!"

Emerald eyes narrowed with hate. "You deserved it. Before you ask, I've already found it again and will be keeping it as insurance you stay away from both me and Harry. Piss me off after Voldemort is dead and I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Where is it!? Give it to me!" The old man had a wild look about him, an insane look.

"I don't even have it anymore. I've already hidden it. Now give me the spell. I already know what book I want, Merlin's journal. I couldn't make heads or tails of it back then but I could tell that the ideas in there could revolutionize the wizarding world. The lost spells and potions he wrote about in there will be useful too."

Hargraves fished around in his pocket and withdrew a folded piece of parchment. "There is the protection spell you wanted but you cannot take Merlin's book from me. It is the crown of my collection. I will offer you memoirs from the founders of Hogwarts instead."

"No. I've picked my book. Accio Merlin's journal!"

James caught the book and tucked it away in his robes. "Remember, you swore an oath to release your slaves before they die." He smiled, winked and darted out of the library and into the hall where Sirius and Remus were waiting with all their things. James had been pretty sure they would need a quick getaway.

"Let's book it. Remember the spell I taught you."

The other two nodded and began to sprint for the door.

It wasn't long before the first thralls appeared and began shooting spells and pursuing them.

All three men whipped around and brandished their wands bellowing the spell they needed loudly. With a flash of light and a crack, the puppet strings were cut for the final time and the girls dropped to floor coughing and spasming as their brains tried to take back over the general life support systems of their bodies.

James threw a sleeping spell over all five girls and levitated them. "We're taking them with us."

He could just barely hear Lord Hargraves' scream of rage as they walked out of the castle, uncontested. They only had to fight a few golems as they raced down the trail, five lovely girls bobbing behind them.

AN: My that was a long one! I almost hit 5000 words in this chapter. Ah well, I had lots to cover.

I'm a little dissapointed that no one figured out who Lord Hargraves was. It was a nod to the Manga Godchild, also known as the Cain Saga. The name was perfect because that family is wacky and then some. Sooo kudos to... no one! lol

I don't normally do this but I want your openion on a few things. First, I really like Ivan Hargraves. I've made up a whole convoluted back story about when him and James (who was then Harry) met. It's good and I'd really like to write it for you. However, I'll give you a choice. I'm planning on taking a break after I finish this story anyway. I'm going to get all the chapters perfect, do a few slight re-writes. I'm thinking I could probaly tell that tale in five chapters. I will not be posting Watching Over Myself until I have quite a few chapters. That way, I can post once a month.

The second thing and I'm really struggling with this one, do you want the Dursleys to be sorta redeemed? I had written something... but, after reading DH I'm not sure if they would do that. Sorry I can't tell you more but please vote!

In other news, I HAVE A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!! Soooooo happy! I'm starting soon so wish me luck. I don't know if I will be able to write while there or not.

Please forgive the lateness... the action scene gave me fits.

By my calculations, there will be four more chapters in this story. However, I only have to write less than three. I have the entire last chapter on paper, 1,500 words of chapter thirteen, 1,000 of fourteen and 1,500 of fifteen. As you know, I will not post a chapter until it is 4,000 words and I try not to go too much over that in the actual body of the story.

You got questions? I got answers!

Haphazard1: You will note they left him alive. They may end up regretting that...

Kalen Darkmoon: Tom Riddle and Hargraves do not get along. Details will be in the Hargraves story... if you let me write it. lol Hargraves isn't the conqure the world kind of villian. He's the kind of guy that sits in his castle and plays with his pretty dolls. (ew) He doesn't care about the outside world. The only thing he gets really attatched to are his books.

MaGpie Quill: Wow, best OC ever. Thanks! I do admit I like him quite a bit and yes, he will be appearing again... at some point. XD Though I have read better OCs than mine. It flatters me that you think so. Don't worry, James is not uber powerful... or at least, if he is I'll give him some challenges. Ha! I got the G!

Ms. Iuyasha: Concerning Snape... Well, he's certainly not going to be a father figure to Harry. innocent look Meeby he will, meeby he won't!

JDZ: Yes, I do have someone in mind for James. Remus will end up with Tonks and Sirius... I have no clue. I hope you will excuse me for putting an OC with James. She will be appearing soon.

General Question: Harry's Hogwart friends will be showing up soon, VERY soon.

HOLY CRUMPETS, BATMAN!!! 400 reviews! You guys are the best, really. Thank you for all your kind words. Your encouragement has helped keep me going through a difficult time in my life.

Fic Recs:

Notebooks and Letters by Chem Prof. - for all us H/Hr die hards.

Harry Potter and the End of Illusions by Christina-Potter-09 - Ahh the H/Hr goodness...

Roses and Chocolat by cloudscape - This is one of those really good, really origional fics that everyone has overlooked thus far. Give it a read, you won't be sorry.

The Light by JazzygGeorgie - Lovely, just lovely.

A Friend Indeed by kb0 - See? I do read H/G fics... when Ginny is written well and she is in this one, VERY well.

(and for giggles, literally...) The Chamber Strike by evansentranced - Warning, do not attempt to read while trying to be quiet. It just won't work.


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